Researchers led by WPI Professor Michael Timko developed a process that shows promise in removing PFAS from sewage sludge and may ultimately generate renewable fuel while potentially reducing the amount of carbon emissions produced by wastewater treatment plants.

Reducing human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” is a significant societal challenge. In the search for possible solutions, a group of researchers in WPI’s Department of Chemical Engineering has developed a process for wastewater treatment plants that not only shows promise in removing PFAS from sewage but also may ultimately generate renewable fuel while potentially reducing the amount of carbon emissions produced by these plants. Demonstrating WPI’s commitment to developing impactful innovations, the researchers are collaborating with academic, industry, and government partners in hopes of bringing their technological approach from the lab into communities facing the daunting challenge of remediating PFAS contamination. “PFAS are insidious. They can slowly accumulate and contribute to health risks. We’re trying to reduce those risk factors,” said Michael Timko, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The timing of WPI’s work is important: Government, health, and community leaders are increasingly pushing for reductions in PFAS in the environment. PFAS are human-made chemicals that have been used for decades in the production of goods such as nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothes, and firefighting foam used at airports and military bases. Once in the environment, they are hard to break down and the widespread use of products with PFAS has resulted in the chemicals being found in soil, water, crops, livestock, and the human food chain. When someone drinks water or eats food with PFAS in it, the chemicals can build up inside the body. According to the federal government’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, evidence suggests associations between increased exposure to specific PFAS and health effects including certain cancers, higher cholesterol, and higher levels of enzymes that can signal liver damage. PFAS often show up in wastewater, and, if they are not broken down, they can re-enter the environment through emissions as both runoff water and solid waste. But, it can be challenging, costly, and energy-intensive for municipalities and water systems to remove PFAS from wastewater and its associated by-products. That’s where the team from WPI comes in. “As we aim to reduce the presence of PFAS and people’s exposure to health risks, we also want to reduce the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment,” said Timko. “There’s enough energy in the incoming waste stream to power wastewater treatment facilities, and we believe these plants can be carbon-neutral or even energy-producing.” The team, which is led by Timko, built upon a core advanced technology known as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to create a process called radical initiated hydrothermal liquefaction (RI-HTL). The process works by heating up wastewater treatment–generated sewage sludge in a reactor that serves as a pressure cooker. A “radical,” hydrogen peroxide, is put into the mixture to help speed up the reactions that break down the bonds holding PFAS together. Ultimately, RI-HTL generates solid waste, processed water, gas, and biocrude oil. Initial tests found that heating sludge for 10 minutes at roughly 570 degrees Fahrenheit in the WPI-developed process removed 99 percent of PFAS from the processed water, 98 percent from solid waste, and 89 percent from the oil. Techniques for further processing the oil can remove additional PFAS and upgrade it into transportation fuel, such as diesel or aviation fuel. The testing also found RI-HTL increases the amount of biocrude generated, offering a 60 percent yield, compared to a 40 percent yield from HTL. Additionally, because WPI’s RI-HTL works with sewage sludge in a “wet” state, it bypasses the energy-intensive steps of drying and incinerating sludge used by some treatment facilities. Hoping to bring this technology to the market, Timko and his team worked with WPI’s Office of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship to seek a patent on the technology and license it to River Otter Renewables. Timko co-founded the Massachusetts-based company in 2023 with CEO Amelia Thomas. “River Otter hopes to use this technology to save wastewater treatment facilities money by reducing solid waste heading to incinerators or landfills and by reducing their use of natural gas, electricity, and chemical additives for other methods of sludge disposal,” said Thomas. The Environmental Protection Agency helped advance the research in 2023 when it awarded Small Business Innovation Research funding to River Otter Renewables for testing and design work. Timko and Thomas hope to build a larger pilot-scale reactor, test more sludge samples, conduct analysis on the gas generated through RI-HTL for PFAS and hydrocarbons, and investigate other potential radical initiators or catalysts. “There isn’t going to be a one-shot solution to the PFAS problem. There will be many different solutions in different areas,” said Timko. “We think we ...

Cagdas Onal, associate professor of robotics engineering, is leading new National Science Foundation-funded research into the possibility of designing flexible robot arms that could help wheelchair users.00:00 NSF funding 00:16 Challenges of rigid robots 00:25 Benefits of flexible robots 00:31 Who will it help? 00:49 What is made of? 01:01 How will it impact daily life for wheelchair users?

Inspired by origami, Worcester Polytechnic Institute robotics engineering researchers are developing a lightweight, flexible robotic arm that will enable a wheelchair user to safely grasp, lift, and carry objects that would otherwise be out of reach. Through the four-year project, researchers Cagdas Onal, Berk Calli, and Loris Fichera are developing a framework for the design, modeling, and control of soft continuum robotic arms, which are more flexible than traditional robot arms. The research is funded by a $1,314,792 award from the National Science Foundation. “The basic scientific discoveries we are making in this research address real-world challenges for people who use wheelchairs and need devices that will help them grab out-of-reach objects,” said Onal, who is principal investigator (PI) on the project and an associate professor in the WPI Department of Robotics Engineering. “A new class of lightweight, safe robotic arms based on the breakthroughs we are making would give those individuals more independence in their daily activities.” Soft continuum robotic arms expand, shrink, and bend along their entire length, like a coiled spring, to move in different directions and travel around objects. That flexibility makes soft robotics a promising technology in complicated human environments. However, soft robotic arms also tend to be weaker, more shaky, and less precise than traditional robot arms made from rigid materials. To address the weaknesses of soft robotic arms, the researchers are developing origami-inspired designs and novel fabrication methods for modules made of lightweight plastics, 3D printed components, and off-the-shelf items such as sensors and cables. By folding flat sheets of clear plastic into springy tube-like structures, the researchers are creating modules that are strong, stiff, and resistant to twisting, all while remaining lightweight. The researchers are also developing specialized algorithms that can run on microcontroller platforms to direct the motion and reactions of a robotic arm. The project builds on Onal’s research into user-friendly soft robotic systems capable of performing tasks that rigid robots cannot tackle. Calli, an associate professor in robotics engineering, brings expertise in object manipulation technologies, especially for robots in recycling centers. Fichera is an assistant professor in robotics engineering whose research includes work on the development of surgical robots. “Soft robots have big potential for assistive robotics,” said Calli. “You would need a very large, rigid robot to reach the high shelves of a cabinet, for example, and installing such robots next to a user does not make sense. Soft robots could expand to reach objects and shrink to a compact size when not in use, and they would be safer for users than rigid robots. Our project will enable soft robotics for assistive uses by developing novel sensing, control, and AI technologies.” Onal said that one goal of the research is to develop a flexible and extendable robotic arm with off-the-shelf grippers that can pick up and carry a cup of water without spilling a drop. “It’s exciting to work with WPI colleagues and students on a project that is pushing the boundaries of this technology,” Onal said. “More importantly, this research offers an opportunity to directly impact people in a positive way by enabling them to lift, move, and carry objects that they previously might not have been able to reach from a wheelchair. That would be a real achievement.”

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On January 31, a campus tradition recognized some of the excellent work done by WPI students during one of the university’s signature academic experiences, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP). The President’s IQP Award, given annually, honors outstanding achievement in the seven-week, full-time projects completed during the previous academic year. The IQP requires students to work in interdisciplinary teams in partnership with a community-based sponsor to address a real-world problem that involves science, technology, and societal needs. Most students complete their IQP off-campus at one of more than 50 WPI project centers located on six continents.Student teams are invited to enter their projects to compete for the President’s IQP Award. Out of the submissions from the more than 300 IQPs completed in the 2023–2024 academic year, a faculty screening committee selected five projects as finalists. The teams whose projects were chosen presented their work in the Rubin Campus Center Odeum to President Grace Wang, their project advisors, faculty, staff, students, family members, and a panel of judges.The finalist projects represent the breadth of the societal challenges addressed by WPI students, the variety of locations where students can travel through the Global Projects Program, and the exemplary research, writing, teamwork, and appreciation of the social and humanistic contexts that are critical components of the IQP.After deliberation, the judges decided two teams—instead of just one—should win the 2024 President’s IQP Award. The winning projects were announced at a reception for the finalists at Higgins House following the project presentations.The winning teamsHunter Daris, Ella Devault, Gavin George, and Federico Lenson, all seniors, completed their award-winning project “Behind the Frontline: Vicarious Trauma Amongst Support Staff in Victoria’s Emergency Management Sector” at the Melbourne, Australia project center. They worked with the nonprofit Emergency Services Foundation, interviewing support workers (such as dispatchers, journalists, and counselors) from 12 agencies to better understand their lived experiences with vicarious trauma. Their stories revealed often-unacknowledged struggles and barriers to accessing trauma support resources. After interviews with mental health experts, the team recommended new practices to help workers in these roles.In addition to preparing a final written report, the students presented their findings in a webinar with managers from the emergency services sector and they produced a podcast episode in which emergency management support staff shared their stories to raise awareness of vicarious trauma and encourage others to seek help. “We’re very proud of the reach that our research has had,” Devault, a civil engineering major, said in the team’s award event presentation. “We know that the real work is being done every day by the managers and the support staff to really develop and refine these programs to make sure that no support staff individual is left behind.” The team was advised by Lorraine Higgins, a teaching professor in The Global School, and Jonathan Chee, a local coordinator at the Melbourne project center.A President’s IQP Award was also given to seniors Peter Allen, Marley Fortune, and Camille Prats and juniors Annabelle Mullins and Colette Scott for their project “How Bazar? Creating Interactive Media to Promote Community Building,” which they did at the Lyon, France project center. The team partnered with SINGA Lyon, an organization that seeks to accelerate the inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers in communities.The students conducted research on immigration politics in France and developed strategies, including a digital icebreaker game and a migration quiz, for SINGA’s annual Bazar Festival to promote greater understanding of migrants and create new connections between people. Prats, an interactive media and game development major, said the project sponsor was excited by the team’s ability to build games. “They thought that games would be a good way to reach out to people without having to have a serious conversation about immigration,” she said. “A game can be a friendlier way to start a conversation.” The team was advised by Grant Burrier, associate professor of teaching in The Global School, and Tahar El-Korchi, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering.The finalists“Harmonizing Holistic Health & Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico.” Students: Ian Cody, Mya Darrow, Katelyn Lunny, and Naomi Treto. Advisors: Grant Burrier and Scott Jiusto. San Juan, Puerto Rico project center. The team worked with Apoyo Mutuo Agrícola to create a community-based emergency plan for rural and urban areas, develop a website, and gather information on resources available to help the nonprofit strengthen its network.“The Implementation of the XRP Curriculum in the Cerrito School of Paraguay.” Students: Andrew Cunnin...

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been designated an R1 institution and joined the ranks of the nation’s top-tier research institutions in a new classification of American colleges and universities published by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.The R1 designation, which identifies WPI as one of 187 institutions with “very high research spending and doctorate production,” caps a decade of efforts to expand research and innovation at the university.“This recognition is a real accomplishment for our entire community, especially our talented faculty members, students, and staff, who have demonstrated their excellence and commitment to high-impact research and innovation,” said Grace Wang, WPI president. “WPI’s research is expanding knowledge, enabling new solutions, and enriching the education of our students. I am thrilled to see WPI recognized nationally for its research achievements.”Under new benchmarks implemented this year by ACE and the Carnegie Foundation, colleges and universities that spend at least $50 million on research and award at least 70 doctorates annually are designated as R1 institutions. WPI spent $66 million on research and awarded 88 doctoral degrees during fiscal year 2023.“WPI’s research portfolio has grown to record levels in recent years, thanks to the quality and creativity of our faculty, staff, and students, who collaborate across disciplines in ways that promote scientific and technological advancements,” said Bogdan Vernescu, WPI vice president and vice provost for research and innovation. "The work of our researchers amplifies the impact of WPI."Much of the university’s research is in the expanding fields of artificial intelligence and data analytics, robotics, advanced materials and manufacturing, and biotechnology and life sciences.“Our faculty members are accomplished scientists, engineers, and thinkers who collaborate globally and have the respect of their peers,” said Andrew Sears, WPI provost. “Recognition of our university as an R1 institution shows others what we have long known—that WPI is a great place to conduct research.”Massachusetts is home to some of the nation’s leading R1 institutions, and WPI has focused its efforts to expand research activity in recent years by concentrating on people, partnerships, and facilities.The university recruited talented faculty members and graduate students, and it established in-house services that help researchers develop and manage projects, Vernescu said. WPI’s faculty includes 29 recipients of prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Awards; fellows of organizations such as the National Academy of Inventors, The Minerals and Metals Society, the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Society of Experimental Mechanics; and faculty who received distinguished prizes such as the American Chemical Society Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry.WPI also expanded its research centers, including four Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers funded by the NSF, and joined federal-industry-university consortia such as Manufacturing USA to further expand partnerships.To support cutting-edge research, new facilities were built: PracticePoint, an academic-industry center for the design and development of medical technologies; LEAP, the Lab for Education and Application Prototypes, which is a collaboration in integrated photonics with Quinsigamond Community College; and Sagamore Labs, an advanced manufacturing facility.The university’s growth in research has generated benefits for Worcester and Massachusetts over the last decade by providing breakthroughs that led to 25 startup companies. Those companies, which have raised $1.7 billion in capital and have more than 500 employees, focus on technologies such as lithium-ion battery manufacturing and recycling, carbon-negative building materials, AI in healthcare, and surgical robotics.“WPI’s researchers are trailblazers, transforming complex challenges into groundbreaking solutions that drive progress and inspire collaboration with industry partners,” said David Ortendahl, WPI executive director of corporate partnerships. “Our research is not just impactful: It’s a catalyst for real-world change, improving lives and shaping the future.”Ongoing investment in research will prepare WPI for additional expansion, said Vernescu. The university awarded more than $400,000 in seed funding during 2024 to more than a dozen research development projects, including $210,000 in grants from the Gapontsev Family Collaborative Venture Fund for research focused on lasers and laser applications, and $150,000 from the President’s Research Catalyst Grants Program, which was funded by gifts for projects focused on developing new materials and applications of AI in bioengineering and mental health.“Researchers a...

If the idea of creating devices for ergonomic and precise hypodermic drug delivery or discovering effective methods to collect umbilical cord blood excites you, then a Biomedical Engineering degree from WPI might be the perfect fit! Our program provides the knowledge, support, and resources you need to explore these innovative avenues in your future career.

The steady drumbeat of news about advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its potential to unlock solutions and reshape the nature of work has made it clear that society is facing rapid transformation. To help students prepare for the possibilities and challenges of this moment and the future, WPI has begun examining AI through its Great Problems Seminar, exposing first-year students to AI tools to explore how they work, to think critically about those tools’ potential benefits and risks to individuals and communities, and to consider ethical questions involving the emerging technology. WPI’s Great Problems Seminar offers 11 courses, two-terms in length, to immerse first-year students in university-level research, introduce them to WPI’s project-based learning, and explore issues of global importance. This fall, the seminar launched two new AI courses. “Through this new curriculum, we’re calling on students to ask, ‘Can we?’ and ‘Should we?’ when it comes to AI,” said Sarah Stanlick, director of the Great Problems Seminar and an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies. “We hear a lot about the potential of AI for good and sustainability. However, there are concerns about the hidden costs of running AI, such as data usage and resource depletion. I’m excited our students are exploring these complexities.” Great Problems Seminar Courses Incorporating AI One of the AI-focused Great Problems Seminar courses is AI, Design, and Society. In it, students are exploring what it means to be human in a digital world by studying the history of artificial intelligence, building and using AI systems, imagining a future with or without AI, and designing interactive experiences that explore the role of AI in our daily lives. In the first term of the course, students made and programmed their own AI generators, which use artificial intelligence and prompts to create digital images or text. “We’re getting a general sense in this course of how AI works,” said Alex Hardro ’28, a computer science and interactive media and game development double major. “I think one benefit is efficiency. AI can sort through so much information, and you can program it to look at problems in different ways to come up with solutions.” Hardro said the class has made him think about the challenges associated with AI, including biases that reflect the human-generated information that feeds AI. He also said the class has given him the opportunity to critique AI generators. He said in many cases the images AI generators create are unrealistic and inaccurate. “When AI was asked to generate a face, the proportions were off,” he said. “It was not very good at accomplishing this task.” In the course’s second term, which began in mid-January, students are working on group projects to design and explore the societal implications, positive and negative, of potential AI solutions in roughly a dozen areas including energy consumption, unequal access to food, disease detection, and language education. “This might be the first time some of these new students are getting guidance on the appropriate use of AI in classroom and research settings,” said Gillian Smith, director of WPI’s Interactive Media and Game Development program and associate professor of computer science, who teaches the course with Stanlick. “I think this approach is helping students learn how to use AI tools and to understand that AI is not just an insular app. It has a broader ecosystem with environmental impacts.” The other Great Problems Seminar course that integrated AI was Smart and Sustainable Cities, which concluded in December. In the class, students explored how artificial intelligence is incorporated into smart city tools such as sensors used for resource management and law enforcement. They explored how these tools reflect the history of race, class, and gender and were asked to consider their own values as society confronts technological disruptions. “There’s a long history of thinking technology will solve all of society’s problems,” said Katherine Foo, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies, who co-taught the course with Stephen McCauley, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies. “This course helps students develop their critical thinking about the economic, political, and social impacts of technology,” Foo said. “I think understanding these impacts will enable technologists to not only make technical innovations, but strategic social innovations as well.” In this class, students worked in teams to explore the opportunities, risks, and challenges of implementing technological solutions to societal challenges including fossil fuel dependence, road safety, and urban heat islands. “I’m curious about whether AI will be used to connect communities or if it’s just going to be used as a technical tool,” said Anna Towne ’28, a comp...

Liaohai “Leo” Chen, a research scientist who oversaw a $20 million surgical robotics training facility while at the University of Illinois Chicago, has joined WPI as director of both PracticePoint, the university’s healthcare technology research and development facility, and the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center, or BETC, at Gateway Park.“Dr. Chen’s extensive experience in surgical robotics and visionary approach to healthcare technology make him an invaluable addition to WPI,” said Bogdan Vernescu, vice president and vice provost for research and innovation at WPI. “We look forward to the advancements and collaborations that will undoubtedly flourish under his guidance.”Chen said WPI is uniquely poised to leverage the technology and programs available at PracticePoint and the BETC to expand the university’s industry partnerships while promoting faculty research and workforce development.PracticePoint provides external researchers with access to advanced resources for design, prototyping, and evaluation of health technology and surgical innovations. The Gateway Park facility, opened in 2020, includes a fully functioning operating room and intensive care unit, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite, and a fully instrumented living environment. It also features advanced manufacturing capabilities, including 3D printing, CNC machining, and electronics assembly.“The use of robotics in the medical field is booming,” Chen said. “Facilities like PracticePoint provide a test bed for new medical device training and technologies and connect our students and faculty with both startup companies and industry leaders.”Designed to create customized workforce development solutions for biotechnology companies, the BETC offers hands-on training that ranges from one-day sessions to longer courses. The 10,000 square-foot, pilot-scale lab facility has delivered customized training programs for companies including AdvantaPure and Biogen-Idec Laboratories; companies like AbbVie and Bristol-Myers Squibb have collaborated with the BETC to develop course curricula and educational materials.Chen said his experience as director of UIC’s Surgical Innovation and Training Laboratory, a facility that provides hands-on training for surgical disciplines, makes his new role at WPI a good fit. He said he hopes to leverage WPI’s central location near regional medical centers to forge new partnerships. He said facilities like PracticePoint are incubating innovations right now that are improving and saving lives.Prior to joining UIC, Chen was a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Utah State University, and was a research scientist and molecular biologist at both Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In addition to directing PracticePoint and the BETC, Chen is also joined the WPI faculty as a research professor in Robotics Engineering and will focus on molecule imaging, surgical navigation/automation, and telesurgery.