MORRIS PLAINS — Thomas Burns, a 2021 Graduate of Morristown High School, and a member of the class of 2025 majoring in Civil Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), was a member of a student team that recently completed an intense research project titled Barriers to an Equitable Uptake of Sustainable Technologies.
“I am a dedicated athlete looking to find a college that offers me the right balance between academics and athletics. I love the game of baseball and being a part of a team. I think both my skillset and coachability would make me an asset to any team. I work hard and I am willing to contribute wherever I am needed on the field. I am looking to find a school that would prepare me well for a career in Engineering/Math or Business,” said Burns before graduating from Morristown High School.
At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology that addresses an important societal need or issue. About two-thirds of students complete a project at one of the university’s 50-plus off-campus project centers, which are located around the world. A signature element of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI, the project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to develop thoughtful solutions to real problems that affect the quality of people’s lives and make a difference before they graduate.
“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 Integrative and 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, a global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university 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. Recognized by the National Academy of Engineering with the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, WPI’s pioneering project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 50 project centers around the world. 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. Its faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research to meet ongoing challenges in health and biotechnology; robotics and the internet of things; advanced materials and manufacturing; cyber, data, and security systems; learning science; and more. For more information click here.
