1965-2015 – WPI 150 Years

STILL RELEVANT

amartinez — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 13:09:31 +0000

With the Humanities & Arts central to a WPI education, it’s fitting that a 2015 allegorical poem pays whimsical tribute to how Theory and Practice first put “two heads together.” With gratitude to writer Gordy Boudreau as well as the stars from WPI: Dean Philip Clay, Trustee Emeritus Stephen Rubin ‘74, and Professor John Orr. Theory and Practice are for the ages.

Pi Day of the Century

amartinez — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 12:00:42 +0000

This was no ordinary Pi (π) Day. At 9:26:53 a.m. on March 14, the calendar and clock aligned to represent the first 10 digits of Pi––an event we won’t see again for another 100 years. To mark the “Pi Day of the Century,” WPI students, faculty, and staff competed in an “Irrational Run” of 3.14 miles, while our roving photographer captured “slices of Pi” from across campus.

Year of the Goat

cwilliams — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 18:17:42 +0000

Mascots can be silly or serious, fictional or historical, a tiny emblem or a big symbol. But Gompei the Goat defies easy description. He is a figure of mystery, controversy and, yes, even romance that has captured the imagination of students for 125 years. Who is the real-life inspiration behind this populist goat turned school legend? Learn more…

Go Bold

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 20:04:21 +0000

At her inauguration as the 16^th president of WPI, Laurie Leshin set a bold agenda for the university: to become the premier global polytechnic. The goal even has a measurement: WPI’s positive impact on communities around the world. Do you agree with Leshin that it’s possible for WPI to become the premier global polytechnic?

Fuller Labs

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:58:02 +0000

WPI observes its 125^th birthday by dedicating the George F. Fuller Laboratories, the first new academic building added to the campus since 1966. A home for information technology, the building houses the Department of Computer Science, the College Computer Center, the Office of Academic Computing, and the Instructional Media Center.

Venice, Italy

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:56:13 +0000

The Venice Project Center is launched. Founding project center director Fabio Carrera ’84, a native of Venice, notes that of the nine universities operating programs in the Italian city at the time, “we hold the distinction of being the only one doing projects for Venice, not just in Venice.” In 2013 the center celebrates 25 years.

Tech Bowling

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:53:43 +0000

The WPI bowling team, known as the Technicians, wins the national championship, the first national title ever won by a WPI sports team. They achieved the feat without a coach or official uniforms. Sports Illustrated reported on the unlikely victors. When news reached the campus, the magazine reported, “the reaction was instant and unanimous, ‘What bowling team?'”

First Project Center

kjhudgins — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 19:19:13 +0000

In Washington, DC, WPI establishes the first of its off-campus project centers. Among the most ambitious component of the WPI Plan, projects require that students tackle problems with little guidance on solutions or tactics. They draw on their lessons in critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration—to cement the impact they can have in the world.

Important Partnerships

kjhudgins — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 19:18:10 +0000

The Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science, founded by the State Legislature in 1992, is an example of WPI’s academic-government partnerships. The rigor of the 11th and 12th grade classes exceeds high school honors and AP classes and includes humanities and world languages. Senior year program is the same as the freshmen year at WPI.

Disruptive Innovation

egallagher — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:15:30 +0000

In a decade of turmoil on college campuses, WPI celebrates its 100^th year. The president appoints a planning committee, led by William Grogan ’46, to move WPI away from cookbook learning practices toward disruptive innovations in higher education. For students to change the world, WPI must first look at time-honored educational approaches … and tear them down.