- Software Requests for the 25-26 Academic YearITS is preparing for the start of A Term 2025! In order to have your software ready to go for the first day of classes, we request that faculty submit their software needs using the Software Request Form by July 18. To confirm if ITS has received your request, login to the Help Portal and open My Tickets.
- Potpourri Usage RemindersPotpourri Usage Reminders Potpourri is a resource that exists to help members of the WPI Community share useful information with one another—from items for sale and service recommendations to events and opportunities that benefit our WPI community. It's been a wonderful way for faculty and staff to connect and support each other. To keep this space welcoming and useful for everyone, please keep these guidelines in mind: Appropriate content includes items for sale, service recommendations, community events, lost and found items, and other resources that would be of general interest to our WPI community. While we recognize that current events may come up from time to time, we strongly encourage members to be mindful of the purpose of the Potpourri listserv and to avoid in-depth discussions, as they can easily become divisive. Direct communication works best for disagreements or concerns about specific posts. If you have concerns about something someone has shared, please reach out to them directly rather than involving the entire community in the discussion. Civility and respect should guide all our interactions. We're all part of the same WPI community, and treating each other with courtesy helps maintain the positive, collaborative atmosphere that makes this listserv valuable. Unsubscribe by following the instructions found here. Please note that any opinions or viewpoints shared through Potpourri reflect solely the views of the individual author and do not represent the opinions, views, or positions of WPI as an institution. Thank you for helping keep this community resource positive and useful for everyone.
- Kwamie Dunbar Named Interim Dean of The WPI Business SchoolSenior Vice President and Provost Andrew Sears announced today that Kwamie Dunbar, professor of finance, has agreed to serve as interim dean for The WPI Business School, effective July 1, 2025. Professor Dunbar’s vast industry experience, strategic insight, and collaborative leadership—as demonstrated by his work in launching WPI’s undergraduate and graduate Financial Technology programs, among other initiatives—will serve the university well during this time of transition. Professor Dunbar joined WPI in 2022 from Simmons University’s School of Business, where he was an associate professor of finance. Previously, he served as associate dean of the Welch College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., where he earned his MBA in economics and finance. He holds a master’s in applied mathematics from Fairfield University, also in Fairfield, and a PhD in financial economics from Fordham University in the Bronx. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of the West Indies. Professor Dunbar spent nearly a decade in industry, working with Fortune 500 companies including GE Asset Management and MasterCard Worldwide. His expertise lies in blockchain assets for social good and sustainability, empirical asset pricing, cryptocurrencies, financial technologies, and futures markets. His research has contributed to insight into digital transformation in finance and economics. Professor Dunbar serves WPI through faculty search committees and his work on both graduate and undergraduate policy and curriculum, and he advises student projects with corporate sponsors. He also advises the WPI student investing club. He is an active scholar and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers and presented at more than 20 conferences in the areas of financial technology and economics. He serves as manuscript reviewer, editor or board member for more than a dozen journals, and is a member of several professional associations. He was honored in the spring with the 2025 Provost's MQP Award, and his work was included in the 2024 Trustees’ Celebration of Faculty Achievements. A search for a permanent dean is being planned; details will be shared as they are available.
- Summer Lunch Hangout at the CWBSpend your lunchtime at the CWB this summer! Starting July 9th, bring your lunch (BYOL) to the CWB anytime 11am to 1pm and hangout with your colleagues. We have games, Legos, coloring pages, and jigsaw puzzles plus comfy seating and a Keurig! This is a great way to get some time away from your desk and a break from work. Stay for 5 minutes or your whole lunch hour!
- Christina Bailey-Hytholt ’15, assistant professor of chemical engineering, named to Kinnicutt ProfessorshipChristina Bailey-Hytholt ’15, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been named to the Leonard P. Kinnicutt Professorship for a three-year appointment. “Professor Bailey-Hytholt’s work exemplifies WPI’s approach to purpose-driven research that has a positive impact in people’s lives,” says John McNeill, Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering. “Her contributions have been recognized with a wide range of external and internal awards, and I’m very pleased to see her join the line of outstanding faculty who have held the Kinnicutt Professorship.” Established by George C. Gordon to honor Leonard P. Kinnicutt, the Kinnicutt Professorship encourages the professional development of aspiring new faculty, with a preference for those who study chemistry. After graduating from WPI, Bailey-Hytholt earned her PhD in biomedical engineering at Brown University as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow and pursued postdoctoral research in genomic medicine and biologics drug product development at Sanofi. A member of the WPI faculty since 2022, Bailey-Hytholt focuses her research on addressing critical unmet needs for prenatal and women’s health using biomaterial and drug delivery approaches. She has received several honors and awards for her research, including being selected as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Science, receiving the Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare in Massachusetts from the Women’s Edge, and being named one of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 35 Under 35. Bailey-Hytholt recently received two awards from the NSF for her research group to study the placenta, a critical organ that develops during pregnancy. She was awarded $502,999 from the NSF’s Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology program for a three-year project that focuses on the relationship between placental cells known as trophoblasts and the structures they secrete, called exosomes, that are important for cell communication. Another $259,570 was awarded from the NSF’s Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program for a two-year project that will engineer placental trophoblast models to help study preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related complication. As an educator, Bailey-Hytholt mentors graduate and undergraduate students in her research lab and within WPI’s project-based learning environment. A WPI graduate herself, Bailey-Hytholt is passionate about educating and training WPI students who are our future science and engineering workforce leaders. In addition to teaching core chemical engineering courses, Bailey-Hytholt has developed two special topics courses at WPI: one course on downstream processes in biomanufacturing and another on biomaterials for women’s health. Her goal is for students to be able to begin their next career step with a strong reference skill set and the ability to think both critically and creatively. “Professor Bailey-Hytholt is a rising star,” says Susan Roberts, professor and Chemical Engineering Department Head. “Her focus on women’s health is unique in the engineering community, and she is helping frame this important, emerging research field. Her emphasis on student learning in both the classroom and in research environments will provide enumerate opportunities for WPI undergraduate and graduate students to become leaders in the biotech and pharma industries.” The Kinnicutt Professorship dates to 1964, when WPI received a $5 million bequest from George C. Gordon, Class of 1895. Most of the funds were used to build WPI’s Gordon Library, but a portion also endowed this professorship. It’s named for Leonard P. Kinnicutt, the professor who Gordon credited with most influencing his life. A member of WPI’s civil engineering faculty from 1882 to 1911, Kinnicutt was the first WPI professor to hold a doctorate and the first Worcester native to join the faculty. An expert in sanitary chemistry, his research and consulting work was known worldwide. At WPI, Kinnicutt managed an unofficial financial aid program, helping many students with out-of-pocket loans. Gordon, who credited Kinnicutt with encouraging him to complete his WPI education, spent five years at Wyman-Gordon Co. in Worcester before joining the Park Drop Forge Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, where he eventually became chairman.
- Professor Shijie Zhou Awarded American Heart Association Grant for AI-Driven VT Localization ProjectA new project led by Prof. Shijie Zhou has been awarded an Innovative Project Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) to develop a non-invasive approach to localizing ventricular tachycardia (VT) exit sites, without the need for traditional QRS onset detection. Titled “Innovative Personalized AI for Automated, Non-invasive VT Exit Site Localization Without QRS Onset Selection,” this research aims to eliminate the subjectivity inherent in current methods of localizing VT exit sites using the QRS complex of 12-lead ECGs. By leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced signal processing, the study seeks to develop an automated framework that bypasses the need for manual QRS onset selection. This work aims to significantly improve the diagnostic precision and treatment safety for patients suffering from VT, a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder. The project is a collaborative effort that brings together leading experts in cardiac electrophysiology and biomedical research from across North America. The research team includes Dr. John Sapp and Dr. Amir AbdelWahab from QEII Health Sciences Centre in Canada, and Dr. Usha Tedrow and Dr. Paul Zei from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts. The AHA Innovative Project Award supports early-stage, highly innovative research that has the potential to transform cardiovascular science and care. This recognition highlights the potential of this AI-driven approach to reshape how VT is diagnosed and treated in the clinic.
- Physics Professor David Medich Speaker At The Recent ABS 2025 Annual ConferenceThe Physics Department is pleased to share that Physics Faculty Member David Medich, Professor, Director of Nuclear Science and Engineering Program was invited to share his expertise with the American Brachytherapy Society this past June. Professor Medich, an active member of American Brachytherapy Society, (ABS), was an invited speaker at the ABS 2025 Annual Conference June 18 – 21 in Nashville, TN. Professor Medich’s talk titled Emerging Technology “Tungsten-181: Physical Characteristics and its Advantages & Disadvantages as an IMBT Source.” It was well received at the well attended conference.
- PROFESSOR ROMAIN MURENZI VISITS KNUST ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROJECT (KEEP) – COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING KNUST – KUMASI GHANA – JUNE 2025The Physics Department is pleased to share that KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP), hosted our faculty member, Professor Romain Murenzi, and former Executive Director of the TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences, for a one-week visit aimed at strengthening quantum science education and research. Funded and facilitated by KEEP, Professor Murenzi’s visit is a milestone in the project’s mission to drive innovation and establish cutting-edge research hubs at the KNUST College of Engineering. Professor Murenzi engaged faculty and students in 15 hours of intensive lectures on quantum science, that included AI applications in quantum research and science policy. Professor Murenzi emphasized the critical role of education and science in economic growth and poverty alleviation. Learn more about Professor Murenzi’s inspiring visit with faculty and students of the Knust Engineering Education Project HERE.
- Staff Council is Seeking Committee ParticipationCommittee Participation Opportunities We are seeking interested staff members to participate in various committees that support our community and workplace initiatives. Your involvement helps ensure that staff voices are heard and that we continue to improve our work environment together. Committees seeking participants include: Fringe Benefits Committee - Collaborate with faculty to review and recommend changes to WPI's employee benefits, health plans, and retirement policies Engagement and Events - Organize staff events and engagement opportunities, such as Harvest of Thanks and our End of the Year Social, and community-building activities like our Lunch & Learn series Recognition - Develop and manage staff awards program, GoatNotes digital recognition system, and appreciation events to celebrate staff achievements Non-Exempt Advisory Group - Provide dedicated representation for non-exempt staff through monthly virtual meetings to address their unique workplace needs If you are interested in serving on any committee, fill out this form, or if would like more information about committee roles and time commitments, please reach out to staffcouncil@wpi.edu.
- NEW Digital Exhibits featuring WPI Founders and Virtual Walkthrough of the Gladwin GalleryWPI Archives & Special Collections has unveiled two new, exciting digital exhibits this summer: Founders of WPI and Gladwin Gallery Installations. Despite their differences in upbringing and profession, John Boynton, David Whitcomb, Seth Sweetser, Emory Washburn, Stephen Salisbury II, Ichabod Washburn, and George Frisbie Hoar gathered in Worcester on May 10, 1865, to formalize the founding tenets of what would become Worcester Polytechnic Institute: “lehr und kunst”, or theory and practice. Visit the Founders of WPI exhibit at https://exhibits.wpi.edu/spotlight/founders to learn more about the seven men who established the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science. Additionally, for those who’ve missed past Gladwin Gallery exhibits, you now have a NEW way to check out the installations curated by Archives & Special Collections! With the help of the Academic Research & Computing Center and 3D capture technology, three virtual exhibits are available for exploration: our 2021 Fire Protection Engineering exhibit, 2023 Video Game Console Wars exhibit, and 2024 Washburn Shops exhibit. Take a "walk” around the gallery, zoom-in on displayed items, and in some cases, select items for additional viewing and download via the Digital WPI Repository. Visit the Gladwin Gallery exhibit at https://exhibits.wpi.edu/spotlight/gladwin-gallery. If you have questions about any of our exhibits, please contact WPI Archives & Special Collections Department at archives@wpi.edu.
- Campus Center Summer Socials: "Goat Together"Join the herd at the Campus Center for our "Goat Together" Summer Socials from 12 - 1pm on the following Wednesdays for a fun-filled hour with free ice cream, outdoor lawn games, board games, and relaxing hammocks in the park! June 25 July 16 August 6 Location: Rubin Campus Center, Back Patio Rain Location: Campus Center Food Court Sponsored by Rubin Campus Center in Collaboration with Staff Council Contact: Kim Wykes, Assistant Director of Campus Center Operations | kwykes@wpi.edu
- WPI Summer Programs for High School Students Begin!The Office of Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs is excited to welcome high school students from around the world to their summer programs! Over the next four weeks, you will see hundreds of students on campus, immersing themselves in coursework, activities and field trips through our Frontiers two-week residential program. Additionally, students will be joining us virtually through the College Credit Jumpstart program where they will engage in a WPI E-term course and earn college credit while still in high school! We are thrilled to provide these experiences for students to explore all that WPI has to offer and hope to see them as future undergrads!
- Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Program Kicks Off with Fourth CohortOn Monday, June 30, the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering program launched its fourth cohort, welcoming eight middle and high school educators. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), RET is a six-week immersive program that provides K–12 teachers with research experiences in engineering, and led by Erin Solovey (PI), Kathy Chen (co-PI) and Donna Taylor. Participants are enhancing their disciplinary knowledge and developing classroom activities and curricula to broaden students’ awareness of and engagement with computing and engineering pathways. (L-R) Demetrios Kennedy, Jesse Drozd, Abigail Prisby, Em Beeler, Tiffini Cornock, Deborah Baird, Michael Nixdorf Jared Quin This year’s cohort includes two recent WPI graduates, Demetrios Kennedy and Michael Nixdorf, who completed the Teacher Preparation Program (TPP), as well as TPP alum ‘22, Em Beeler. The educators are mentored by WPI faculty members Scarlet Shell, Adam Powell, Andrew Teixeira, Michael T. Timko, Geoffref Tompsett, and Yihao Zheng. In addition to their research projects, RET teachers are participating in weekly professional development sessions led by the STEM Education Center. These sessions support the integration of their research experiences into real-world, standards-aligned STEM instruction, all while connecting to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and strengthening partnerships among WPI, K–12 schools, and industry. 2025 RET RESEARCH PROJECTS Research Project (UN SDG #) Research Project WPI Faculty Mentor, Department Teacher, Licensure, School Teacher, Licensure, School/Major #7 – Affordable & Clean Energy Magnesium Production and Recycling for Clean Energy Adam Powell (Mechanical & Materials Engineering / Chemical Engineering) Jared Quinn (Life Sciences, Overlook MS, Ashburnham) Demetrios Kennedy (HS Chemistry, WPI Chemistry) #3 – Good Heath and Well-Being Antibiotic Resistance in Mycobacteria Scarlet Shell (Biology & Biotechnology) Abigail Prisby (HS Biology, Groton-Dunstable HS) Em Beeler (HS Math, Burncoat HS, Worcester) #13 – Climate Action Removing PFAS from Contaminated Soils Andrew Teixeira & Mike Timko (Chemical Engineering) Tiffini Cornock (HS Chemistry, Carver MS/HS) Jesse Drozd (HS Chemistry, WPI Chemistry) #3 – Good Heath and Well-Being Engineering Bench-Top Testing of Interventional Devices for Cardiovascular Diseases Yihao Zheng (Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering / MME, RBE & BME) Deborah Baird (MS Broad Meadows Middle School) Michael Nixdorf (MS Math, WPI Applied Physics)
- Community Update on the Hampton InnDear WPI Community, When WPI acquired the Courtyard Marriott and Hampton Inn at Gateway Park in 2024, we planned to repurpose them as student residence halls, beginning with the Hampton Inn in 2026. However, we have now decided to postpone our planned conversion of the Hampton Inn. This decision was based on the shifting dynamics affecting WPI and higher education across the country—including significant reductions in federal research funding, anticipated declines in international student enrollment, and the continuing effects of a shrinking pool of domestic students. The Hampton Inn will continue to serve WPI and the City of Worcester by operating as a full-capacity hotel under its existing management company. The revenue generated by the hotel will provide financial resiliency for WPI and continue to produce property and hotel taxes for the city. The Courtyard Marriott will remain an operating hotel until at least 2030, as previously announced. We reevaluate our student housing needs annually, taking into account the current demand for housing, future needs and other factors, and we will review the status of the Hampton Inn as part of this process. WPI has updated officials in city government about the change in the timeline for the conversion. WPI has been proud to call Worcester home for 160 years. Our students, faculty, and staff contribute every day to the city’s vibrancy and growth—through innovation, research, entrepreneurship, community service, and civic engagement. We are equally proud of our economic contributions: More than $140 million invested in Gateway Park since its inception Annual PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) currently exceeding $815,000 $9 million paid to the city since 2009, with a total of approximately $18 million projected through 2034 Technologies developed at WPI resulting in local and regional spin-off companies employing more than 400 people and over $1 billion in investment WPI remains firmly rooted in Worcester and steadfast in our commitment to its future—bringing stability, opportunity, and shared success to both the campus and the city. Sincerely, Mike Horan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Philip Clay, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
- Registration is open for Intro to Mindfulness Meditation in E-TermMIEA Intro to Mindfulness is a four-week evidence-based mindfulness curriculum the Center for Well-Being is offering to WPI employees and graduate students at no cost. Registration is now open for the in-person program that runs Tuesdays, 1:00 to 2:15 PM, July 15 to Aug 5 in the Center for Well-Being. Register here.
- Robotics Professor Constantinos Chamzas Awarded $175K NSF Grant to Advance Robot LearningConstantinos Chamzas Professor Constantinos Chamzas, a faculty member in the Department of Robotics Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious $175,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support his research in robotic planning and manipulation. The award, part of the NSF’s highly competitive Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Initiation Initiative (CRII), will help launch a project titled “CRII: Towards Real-World Robotic Manipulation: Learning Abstract State and Action Representations from Visual and Execution Data” which aims to revolutionize how robots learn and reason in complex, real-world environments. Professor Chamzas’s inspiration for the project traces back to his doctoral research, where he explored how robots leverage past experiences to improve planning efficiency. “I’ve always been fascinated by how classical planning algorithms offer strong generalization in theory,” he explains, “but in practice, they require carefully designed spaces and significant manual effort to function effectively.” His curiosity led him to explore the intersection of symbolic planning and machine learning—two traditionally distinct approaches in robotics. The core idea behind his project is deceptively simple: enable robots to reason more like humans. When we put clothes in a closet, “We don’t consciously model every object or constraint,” Chamzas says. “We just follow an abstract plan: go to the closet, open the door, put the clothes inside.” But for a robot, that same task requires a detailed, manually encoded model. His research seeks to change that by allowing robots to learn abstract representations of tasks and actions directly from experience, rather than relying on human-specified models. Technically, the project focuses on enabling robots to perform long-horizon manipulation tasks by learning symbolic abstractions from real-world data. “Instead of assuming a perfect model of the world,” Professor Chamzas states, “the robot will autonomously collect and analyze its own experience to discover how to represent tasks and actions symbolically.” The result enables more adaptive and explainable robotic behavior. The grant application process, Professor Chamzas notes, was both challenging and rewarding. “The CRII program is unique in how it supports early-career researchers,” he says. It gave him the “opportunity to distill my long-term research vision into a focused, high-impact proposal.” He credits the support of his colleagues in the Robotics Department and past CRII recipients for helping him refine his ideas and navigate the application process. For other researchers seeking NSF funding, Professor Chamzas offers practical advice: “Start early and don’t be afraid to share your ideas with trusted peers and mentors. Treat the proposal not just as a funding opportunity, but as a chance to clarify and articulate your long-term research vision” He emphasizes the importance of grounding proposals in prior work and being open to feedback—even when it’s conflicting. Professor Chamzas says that open dialogue with colleagues is what helped him the most, and he strongly encourages open conversations. With this NSF grant, Professor Chamzas is poised to make significant strides in the field of robotics, pushing the boundaries of how machines learn, plan, and interact with the world. The work supported by this award will contribute to broader developments in the field and provide valuable insights for the robotics community at large.
- Amity Manning, professor of biology and biotechnology, named Dr. Helen G. Vassallo Distinguished Presidential ProfessorAmity Manning Amity Manning, professor of biology and biotechnology, has been named as the inaugural Dr. Helen G. Vassallo Distinguished Presidential Professor. The professorship, established by a generous gift from Trae and Steve Vassallo ’93 in memory of Steve’s mother, honors the legacy of longtime, pioneering WPI faculty member Helen Vassallo MBA ’82. “Professor Amity Manning, the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Helen G. Vassallo Distinguished Presidential Professorship, exemplifies the values that Helen championed throughout her remarkable career,” says Reeta Rao, professor and Biology and Biotechnology Department head. “I nominated Amity for this honor because she is a brilliant scientist, a dynamic and engaging teacher, a thoughtful mentor, a collaborative leader—all qualities lived by Dr. Helen Vasallo. Amity is also a devoted mother to four wonderful boys. This professorship is especially meaningful to our department as it represents our very first endowed chair. Helen Vassallo paved the way for so many of us, and I’m honored to help carry forward her legacy through Amity’s appointment.” “We established this professorship to honor my mom and cement her legacy as one of WPI’s most generous and impactful professors. She was a true pioneer at nearly every stage of her life, and in every facet,” says Steve Vassallo. “Amity Manning’s record of excellence as a researcher working on the cutting edge and her reputation as a teacher and mentor among students makes her a perfect choice to be the first to hold the professorship that bears my mother’s name.” Manning’s research focuses on defining the cellular mechanisms that maintain genome stability in normal cells and understanding how those pathways are corrupted in cancer cells. Using a combination of molecular and cell biological approaches, together with bioinformatics and imaging techniques, her group aims to identify changes associated with genomic instability in cancer and exploit those changes to identify novel therapeutic targets and enhance cancer cell death. She has received significant grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health to support her research on cancer cell biology, genome stability, chromatin structure, and mitotic regulation. In the classroom and the lab, she is a dedicated teacher and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students, working with them to gain a better understanding of cancer cell biology and to make meaningful contributions to cancer research. In many ways, Manning reflects Dr. Helen Vassallo’s career. Vassallo joined the faculties of WPI’s Management and Biology and Biotechnology departments in 1982 after a distinguished career as an educator, researcher, and business leader in the fields of physiology, pharmacology, and anesthesia. She received a BS from Tufts University and an MS in pharmacology from Tufts University Medical School and then taught at Tufts, Brandeis University, Clark University, and WPI before joining Astra Pharmaceutical Products, where she would become director of scientific and professional information. While at Astra, she completed a PhD in physiology at Clark and an MBA at WPI and was a visiting fellow and special student at MIT’s Sloan Institute, where she studied organizational behavior. Helen Vassallo Dr. Vassallo made a mark during her time at WPI. She served as head of the Management Department from 1989 to 1995, was the longtime chief justice of the Campus Hearing Board, received the Trustees Award for Outstanding Teaching, was recognized as National Sorority Advisor of the Year, belonged to the President’s Council for the Advancement of Women and Minorities, and received the Woman of Consequence Award from the City of Worcester (in 2008). In 2013, she was honored with the Goat’s Head Lifetime Commitment Award from the WPI Alumni Association. She was also the first woman to be elected secretary of the faculty, the highest faculty post. In addition to raising 10 children, three of whom are WPI alumni, Dr. Vassallo also authored numerous articles, two books, one monograph, and is the co-holder of two patents. Along with her impact on the university, she also touched many people who crossed her path. “My mom’s bio clearly needs an intermission—she blazed many trails in her lifetime but never sought the limelight. Instead, her focus was always attuned to service, finding ways to help others achieve their goals and find their own personal, academic, and professional success,” says Steve Vassallo, who majored in mechanical engineering at WPI and then began his career as a design engineer at the global design firm IDEO. Vassallo then went on to lead the development of technologies and products for a broad array of companies including Apple, BMW, Cisco, and many others, and was awarded 77 patents along the way. In 2007, Vassallo joined Foundation Capital, a venture capital firm where he is a general partner and early-stage investor in more than 100 startups, helping them go from idea to IPO and beyond. “As I look back on the last 30 years, it’s clear that the education and life skills I gained at WPI both set the trajectory and elevated the ceiling of my career by providing me with a strong technical foundation combined with an invaluable set of project-based experiences,” he says. “My mom would occasionally remind us kids that it’s not about what you know, it’s about how enthusiastically you approach the things you don’t. This urgent curiosity—the rush to learn, to build, and to solve real problems in the world—is the spirit of WPI as well as the spirit of the start-up world I live in today. And it’s a part of her legacy, too.”
- Benefits NewsletterPlease click here to view the July 2025 benefits newsletter.
- Welcome New Employees June 2025Hire Date Employee Name Position Department 6/2/2025 Abhishek Sharma Post-Doctoral Fellow School of Engineering 6/9/2025 Dorothy Gaby Senior Assistant Director, Admissions, Access & Outreach Student Affairs & Enrollment Management 6/9/2025 Zeyi Yao Post-Doctoral Fellow School of Engineering 6/23/2025 Anne Cushing Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications Marketing Communications 6/23/2025 Lydia Sprague Research Associate School of Arts & Sciences
- Global Lab publishes 2024-2025 Annual ReportGlobal Lab Annual Report 24-25
- Microsoft 365 Storage Events (July 2025)Come attend one of our Microsoft 365 events for tips on how to better manage your OneDrive and Outlook storage. The drop in sessions will be your chance to ask questions or get assistance with your OneDrive and Outlook accounts. All events are in Eastern Daylight Time. Virtual (Zoom) Login is required to view the details for the drop-in sessions. July 16 – 11am – 1pm - Drop-in session July 22 – 10am – 11am - OneDrive Clean Up! webinar July 23 – 11am – 1pm - Drop-in session July 30 – 11am – 1pm - Drop-in session In-Person July 9 – 11am – 1pm - At this drop-in session, ITS staff will be next to the Service Desk in the Gordon Library. Please bring your WPI-managed device to get the greatest benefit from this session. If you're unable to attend these sessions, then please fill out the Data Storage Management form to request assistance. Microsoft 365 Storage Resources: These resources will help you get started on managing your Outlook and OneDrive storage. Storage Management FAQs Exploring Outlook Outlook Clean Up Resources Exploring OneDrive
- Results are in for WPI's Staff CouncilThe voting results are now in, and the Staff Council would like to welcome their new members! A special thank you to all candidates for Staff Council and staff across campus who participated in this spring election. You can learn more about the Staff Council and meet the new members by visiting the Staff Council webpage. The Staff Council extends heartfelt thanks to our departing members for their invaluable contributions and dedicated service. We recognize the time and energy each has invested in their role as a council member while balancing their regular duties. We deeply appreciate the sacrifices each have made to ensure the council’s effectiveness and laying the groundwork for future success. If you have general questions about the Staff Council, you may email at staffcouncil@wpi.edu. Staff Council
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