REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 30WHO'S COMING First-of-Its-Kind in Explosion Protection EngineeringThe Explosion Protection Engineering Program at WPI is the first in the United States to take a unified approach to explosion protection that encompasses all applications and industries. Dedicated to advancing the science and practice of explosion protection, WPI’s comprehensive program is designed to equip professionals with theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing students for the complexities and challenges of explosion hazards everywhere including some types of batteries, chemicals, and even food dust. Meet the PresentersAli Rangwala, Ph.D is a professor in Fire Protection Engineering. His research interests include problems related to industrial fire and explosion problems. His courses include Explosion Dynamics, Explosion Protection, Industrial Fire Protection, Fire Dynamics, Combustion, and Heat and Mass Transfer.Stephen Kmiotek '80 MS'82, Ph.D '86 is a professor of practice in chemical engineering whose focus is to bring his 30 years of experience in the chemical and environmental industries to the undergraduate classes. Steve's focus has been on Chemical Process Safety, Environmental, Health and Safety, and, Air Pollution Engineering.Jagannath Jayachandran, Ph.D., is associate professor for Aerospace Engineering. His research is aimed toward understanding fundamental aspects of reacting flows at thermodynamic conditions of relevance to aircraft, rocket, and automobile propulsion.Hannah Murray '21, MS'22 and current Ph.D. student states "This program will be incredibly valuable in building working professionals who can help rationalize, solve, and justify solutions to complex industry problems. There are problems that we don't have all the answers for. I am looking forward to taking courses with experienced professors and conducting research in the advanced facilities available at WPI.”Andrew Goetz is a current student in the Masters of Explosion Protection Engineering Program. Wednesday, October 1, 2025The Alumni Center at Higgins House10:00 Guest Social10:30 Welcome Remarks10:45 Featured Presentation11:30 Presentation ConcludesSalisbury Labs, 21411:45 FPE Combustion Lab Tour12:30 Program Concludes This program is hosted by WPI Voyagers. Members of the WPI community, age 55+ and having a keen interest in continued engagement with WPI, are invited to join us for this program.Parking passes are required and provided via registration confirmation email.Please register by September 30 to receive/print your parking pass.More about the Explosion Protection Engineering ProgramDesigned amid growing concerns about fire and explosion risk posed by manufacturing facilities and advancing technologies like electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, the new program builds on WPI’s esteemed legacy in Fire Protection Engineering, which has been at the forefront of fire safety education and research since its inception in 1978. Explosions, whether related to battery and energy production and storage, accidental industrial incidents, unintended combustion of manufacturing materials, or intentional bombings, have led to catastrophic consequences. Notable examples include the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion (2010), the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in Massachusetts (2016), and the Surprise, Arizona energy storage system explosion (2019). These events have resulted in deaths, countless injuries, and billions of dollars in damages.

Come celebrate the Arts & Sciences undergraduate students as they showcase their summer research projects, and enjoy an inspiring keynote by WPI alum, Geri Dimas.

Chemical Engineering Colloquium, "(How) Does Biology Degrade Polyethylene? Adventures in Biological Degradation and Upcycling of Polyolefins", Mark Blenner, Ph.D., Thomas & Kipp Gutshall Career Development Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware

Dr. Brigitte Servatius, MathematicsAbstract: AI and Calculus education: Is the use of generative AI in our Calculus labs a help or a hindrance?An AI research team at MIT seeks contributions of examples for the development of an interactive AI teaching tool designed to help students learn calculus through graphical illustrations. Many examples are needed to train the system, and examples should be tested. We'd like you to test one of our examples to start a discussion on the use of AI in the classroom/lab. In particular, we would like to hear about examples where graphs have been especially effective in your teaching; no need to restrict yourself to math.Bio: To learn more about Brigitte Servatius, go to her website.Please register by Thursday, September 25th, so we can finalize the headcount for lunch.

Looking for a way to make your day less stressful and more mindful...take some much-needed time for yourself and join us for Mindful Wednesdays! Drop-in meditation sessions are open to the entire WPI community, and no experience is necessary. A certified meditation teacher will offer guided meditations appropriate for both beginners as well as experienced meditators. People can join in person or via zoom.

Title:tiny Machine Learning Systems: From Hardware to Applications Abstract:The growing demand for intelligent devices at the edge calls for machine learning systems that are not only accurate but also resource-efficient. This talk presents recent advancements in tiny machine learning: a paradigm that brings AI capabilities to low-power, embedded platforms. We will explore how emerging computing models can be exploited to design lightweight, always-on learning systems. By co-designing hardware and software, we can push the boundaries of what is possible in constrained environments, enabling applications ranging from real-time health monitoring to secure embedded systems. Speaker:Sercan AygunAssistant Professor, School of Computing and Informatics, UL Lafayette Bio:https://www.sercanaygun.com/tml-ec-labDr. Sercan Aygun is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing and Informatics at UL Lafayette. He leads the tiny Machine Learning and Embedded Computing Laboratory, focusing on lightweight and efficient AI systems powered by emerging computing paradigms. Dr. Aygun was a postdoctoral researcher at UL Lafayette prior to becoming a professor. He is a recipient of multiple research awards, Best Paper and Best Poster recognitions at GLSVLSI, Best Scientific Research Award at SRC of ESWEEK, Best PhD. thesis awards, Outstanding TPC at DAC'25, Best Reviewer of IEEE JETCAS, and the MLCommons Rising Stars in Machine Learning and Systems. Host: Professor Ulkuhan Guler