In Spring 2021, sensing that pandemic-fueled international travel restrictions were not going away anytime soon, Professor Emeritus Scott Jiusto and Associate Professor Gbetonmasse Somasse began looking for an alternative travel experience for students scheduled to head to the Cape Town, South Africa, Project Center they co-direct. They weren’t alone.
North Billerica student completes research project
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Tyler Stack, of North Billerica, a member of the class of 2022 majoring in mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was a member of a student team that recently completed a research project titled “Determining the Viability of Teak Growth in Central America at Panama City Panama.”
At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue. Nearly 90% of students typically complete a project in collaboration with partners in communities across the country and around the world, through the university s 50-plus project centers. Students usually travel to the project center for seven-week terms; this fall, however, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, they worked remotely, using video conferencing and other technology to complete their projects. A signature element of the i