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Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private university located in Worcester , Massachusetts , in the United States . __TOC__ HISTORY Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1865 as the , 2006 WPI was led in its early years by president and professor of chemistry Charles O. Thompson. Two Towers: The Story of Worcester Tech 1865-1965 URL accessed on , 2006 During this time, WPI suffered from the lack of a unified library system, well-maintained buildings, and national recognition. This changed under the leadership of president Harry P. Storke from 1962 to 1969. Storke brought significant change to the school in what would be known as the WPI Plan. The Plan called for the creation of three projects and drastically redesigned the curriculum to address how a student learns. The Storke administration also launched a capital campaign that resulted in the creation of the George C. Gordon Library, added residence halls, an auditorium, and a modern chemistry building. Furthermore, women were first allowed to enter WPI in February of 1968. The Miracle at Worcester: The Story of the WPI Plan URL accessed on July 23 , 2006 The WPI Plan is the guiding principle behind undergraduate education at the Institute today, and is arguably the most notable contribution WPI has made towards science and engineering education. Today, WPI is primarily an undergraduate focused institution, though expansion of graduate and research programs is a long-term goal. The WPI Bioengineering Institute is currently a significant contributor to Worcester's growing Biotechnology industry. Significant research in other fields such as Metallurgy , untethered Health Care , Fuel Cells , Applied Mathematics and Fire Protection currently help establish WPI as an important, specialized research university. CAMPUS WPI is an urban school with what some have called "a suburban feel." The main campus is not gated, but it is entirely WPI owned and no public roads cross this part of the school. WPI sits on Boynton Hill, which sets it apart from the surrounding neighborhood. Situated only one block away from "the Hill" (as it is often referred to) is a stretch of restaurants and stores on Highland Street. A Subway sandwich shop, Tech Pizza, Boomer's Pizza, Dragon Dynasty (Chinese cuisine) the Bean Counter (coffee shop), the Sole Proprietor (an upscale seafood restaurant), a consignment shop, Tortilla Sams (a Mexican restaurant), and the Boynton (a bar and grill) are all located there. As a superstition, it is said that stepping foot on the seal in the center of the quadrangle will prevent a student from graduating in four years. In the graduation ceremony, students walk around the seal to get to their seats, but walk over the seal as they leave. Since the seal is relatively new, this rumor may have been deliberately circulated to potential freshmen to help reduce wear. Once a laboratory for electromagnetic research, the "Skull tomb" was built entirely without ferrous metals. Several years after its construction, electrified trolley tracks were built in Worcester which led to the building's disuse. It served for a time as a site for Robert Goddard 's rocket fuel research as the building is relatively isolated from other buildings on campus and Dr. Goddard's research had previously led to explosions on campus. Subsequent to the building earning its present nickname, "Skull" inherited the building. The building was reconditioned in 2004. WPI boasts one of 35 civilian research Nuclear Reactor s licensed to operate in the United States. It is the only nuclear reactor in North America to be in a wood-framed building. The Nuclear Engineering program at WPI has been discontinued, and the reactor is not presently in use in any research. The 'Two Towers' shown in old WPI logos show the clock tower of Boynton Hall and the arm and hammer weathervane of the Washburn Shops. The original weathervane was stolen in October of 1975 and never recovered. Boynton and Washburn were the university's first buildings, housing the classrooms and laboratories, respectively. The Two Towers symbolize Theory and Practice, which are the foundation of the university and still the approach used today. http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Archives/Tower/ http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/Policies/Identity/Guide/towers.html ACADEMICS WPI offers a variety of majors in engineering, science, management, liberal arts, and social science at the undergraduate and graduate level. Unlike many peer universities, WPI currently does not combine related departments into colleges or schools. WPI's schedule is also unique among most universities. Instead of a normal semester, WPI uses 7-week terms, labeled A-D, with an optional E term in the summer. A term typically begins on the second to last Thursday in August, while D term is usually scheduled to end on the first Tuesday of May. Each term is claimed to be roughly equivalent to a third of a year at another university. Thus, students are able to complete a year's worth of Chemistry, Physics, and Math in only a semester and a half. This faster pace allows for more in-depth study (by a student's senior year, they have already completed a normal four-year course track, essentially giving them an "extra" year), but also is a source of stress among the student body and faculty. The graduate student calendar follows a conventional two semester schedule. If a student gets all NRs in a term, it means he/she's has been notified that the status of his/her classes is "No Record". The result is that there is no record of coursework from the term. This is known officially as a "No Record" because the result can originate from either a non-passing effort or a student dropping from the course. Project System WPI's project-based curriculum makes it unique by requiring undergraduate students to complete a Sufficiency in the Liberal Arts (or a '''Technical Sufficiency''' for liberal arts majors), an '''Interactive Qualifying Project''' (IQP) to study the social effects of Technology with students from other disciplines, and a '''Major Qualifying Project''' (MQP) within their own discipline. These projects are based on WPI's founding principle of theory alongside practice, though were introduced in the last 40 years. Usually, the Sufficiency, IQP, and MQP are completed in the sophomore, junior, and senior years, respectively. The MQP is similar to other schools' "senior thesis," while the IQP is a bit more unusual and sometimes difficult to explain on resumes. Global Perspective Program At WPI, the opportunity to complete significant project work off campus is an integral element of an academic program that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge to meaningful technical and societal problems. Through the Global Perspective Program, over 60% of WPI students complete at least one of their required projects at an off-campus Project Center. Typically, students work under faculty guidance in small teams at Project Centers to address problems posed by external agencies and organizations. Through the Global Perspective Program, WPI sends more engineering students abroad than any US college or university. As of the 2006-2007 academic year, the program included established Project Centers for society-technology projects (IQPs) in Worcester; Boston; Washington, DC; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Jose, Costa Rica; Copenhagen, Denmark; London, England; Venice, Italy; Windhoek, Namibia; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong, PRC; and Melbourne, Australia. Project Centers for senior design or research projects (MQPs) included MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Wall Street, New York; Silicon Valley; Gallo Wineries, California; Limerick, Ireland; Nancy, France; Budapest, Hungary; and Wuhan, PRC. Between 1974, when the first WPI Project Center was established in Washington, DC, and 2006, over 7000 students had completed over 2000 projects in locations around the globe. The Global Perspective Program was cited by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2000, when it named WPI one of 16 Greater Expectations Leadership Institutions to serve as models for the future of undergraduate education in the United States. Humanities Project The Humanities Project, also known as a Sufficiency, is designed to assess well-roundedness in areas outside of technological knowledge. The project consists of five thematically-related courses in the humanities and arts (such as Western literature, musical composition, etc.), and culminates with a course-long independent project. This can be a variety of different things; recent Sufficiency projects include research into contemporary music history, a student giving a flute recital,original screenplays, and critiques of philosophy. Students interested in foreign languages often skip the project and take an additional course, though there are opportunities to do a project. Students who are majoring in a humanities and arts related field do a similar Sufficiency project in a science or engineering discipline. The Humanities Project, or Sufficiency, will be replaced by a new Humanities requirement starting with the class of 2011; current students have the option of either fulfilling the Sufficiency or the new requirement. More information regarding the change could be found here . For more information regarding the Sufficiency, including a list of award-winning projects, visit this page . adjusts the height of the water based on the wind velocity.]] Interactive Qualifying Project The Interactive Qualifying Project, or IQP, is described as a "project which relates technology and science to society or human needs." WPI Projects Program URL accessed on July 28 , 2006 This project is very broad in scope, encompassing a wide variety of topics and actions. Generally, IQPs are designed to solve a societal problem using technology. This can range from improving high school science education to redesigning an irrigation system in Thailand. This project is often done off-campus through WPI's Global Perspective Program. From an educational perspective, the IQP serves to emphasize team-based work and introduces a real-world responsibility absent from courses. Many IQPs have made a significant impact on the community in which it is done . Major Qualifying Project The Major Qualifying Project, or MQP, assesses knowledge in a student's field of study. As mentioned above, this project is similar to a senior thesis, with students doing independent research or design. MQPs are often funded by either WPI or external corporations. Topics of MQPs done in the 05-06 academic year include a study of the effects of stress and nicotine on ADHD, the design of a research rocket, a mathematical viscoelastic cell motility model, experimental research of liquid crystals using atomic force microscopy, and the design of polymers for medicine delivery. WPI Project Presentation Day 2006 , URL accessed on July 28 , 2006 . Rankings and reputation In 2007 , WPI's undergraduate program ranked #62 out of all doctoral universities according to US News and World Report. US News and World Report , URL accessed on August 17 , 2007 . WPI's innovative undergraduate program also enjoys a strong reputation among education officials; the New England Association of Schools and Colleges favorably commented on the Institute's dedication and unique approach to science and engineering education. NEASC Report on Worcester Polytechnic Institute URL accessed on , 2006 STUDENT LIFE WPI is well known for its diverse and unique student bodies. For example, Wedgerats are students on campus who spend considerable time in the Wedge, located between Daniels and Morgan, or in the Class of 1946 Lounge of the Campus Center (also known as the Octowedge). As a group, they've existed for over 30 years, predating most other organizations on campus. They are usually involved with the Science Fiction Society (SFS), which Wedgerats helped found in the mid-1970's, or the Society for Medieval Arts and Sciences (SMAS). Weird activities on campus are quite common. An example of this would be the history of the school mascot. The original goat mascot was a live goat, kept by a student, Gompei Kuwada (Class of 1893), in 1891. The Goat was later given to WPI as a gift of the class of 1893. When the goat died, his head was bronzed and mounted. The bronzed goat's head was stolen and shown as a trophy by various groups. In 1928, a caricature model of the goat was created in place of the aging goats head. The Goat's Head Rivalry has been going on and off since then and still takes place today. The former campus pub was named after Gompei. http://users.wpi.edu/~goat/history.html Another example would be that many of the members of the Fanfiction -writing group Eyrie Productions are or were students at WPI, and much of their writing is littered with WPI references. This group was noted for such major work as Undocumented Features , considered by those in the anime community as one of the most significant and influential pieces of fan-fiction of the 1990s. http://www.thekeep.org/~tls/spoton09.htm WPI's student body stages a number of regular weekly events that students can enjoy. Some of them are listed below.
In addition to regularly scheduled campus activities, WPI is host to a number of annual events. These events usually only attract students, though some events, such as Anime Fest and QuadFest, are large enough to draw in off-campus visitors. Some are listed below in order of occurrence.
Thirty percent of the students participate in Greek Life. There are currently 11 fraternities and 3 sororities on campus. {Link without Title} OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AT WPI Since 1982 WPI has offered a summer-program for high school science & engineering students named Frontiers . Also, since 1997, WPI has offered a summer outreach program for girls entering the sixth grade, Camp REACH, to promote women in math & science.WPI participates in a collaborative effort with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the high schools of Massachusetts to support a school called the Massachusetts Academy Of Math And Science At WPI .Mass Academy is an 11th and 12th grade public high school for 100 academically accelerated youths. Juniors receive advanced high school classes at the academy building, with seniors taking the WPI freshman curriculum at the university.The program emphasizes math and science within a comprehensive, interactive program and is the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a university full time as seniors in high school. NOTABLE ALUMNI
For more information on notable alumni, please see: the WPI Library's Online Exhibition of Distinguished Alumni or http://www.wpi.edu/News/Conf/Roundtable/Barcelona/alumni.html. NOTABLE FACULTY WPI has employed several professors whose achievements have made them notable across the nation and the world.
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