MORRIS PLAINS — Audrey Pagan, a member of the class of 2026 majoring in Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), was a member of a student team that recently completed a professional-level research-driven project titled “Stormwater Utility Creation and Maintenance.”
Known as the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), this project is a core part of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI. Centered around project-based learning, this hands-on approach offers students opportunities to help develop thoughtful solutions to open-ended problems. These real-world problems affect the quality of life for people in the communities where students work, giving students a chance to make a difference in the world before graduation. All WPI undergraduates must complete an IQP, usually in their junior year, through which they apply science and technology to address a critical societal need or issue. About two-thirds of WPI students complete their IQP at one of the university’s 50+ off-campus project centers in more than 30 countries worldwide.
“The WPI project-based curriculum’s focus on global studies brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge and to solve problems,” said Professor Kent Rissmiller, professor of International & Global Studies and associate dean of The Global School. “Students are immersed in all aspects of a different culture-from the way people live and work to the values they hold to the foods they eat, all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today’s global marketplace. They also learn the meaning and magic of teamwork; make a real and meaningful difference in their host community; and gain a competitive edge for any resume, or graduate or professional school application.”
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI is a top-tier STEM-focused research university and a recognized pioneer and global leader in project-based learning. Founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems, WPI’s continued mission is to transform lives, turn knowledge into action to confront global challenges, and revolutionize STEM through distinctive and inclusive education, projects, and research. WPI’s project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving significant scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 50 project centers worldwide. Today, WPI offers more than 70 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs across 18 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. To help address ongoing challenges, improve lives, and help create a more sustainable world, WPI faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research in the life sciences, innovative technologies, materials and manufacturing, and global initiatives.
