Community Engagement and Public Service Activities

The Women’s Research and Mentorship Program (WRAMP) is for young women interested in exploring STEM research with positive female role models who are successful in STEM. WRAMP is a multi-tiered program whereby six research/mentoring teams are formed each semester, including two high school students, one WPI graduate student, and one WPI undergraduate student.

Twenty students participated in WRAMP Spring 2024: five graduate mentors, five undergraduate mentors, and ten high schoolers. Teams worked weekly on projects in the following disciplines: 

• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Community Climate Adaptation
• Physics

Additionally, all participants attended Saturday sessions designed to empower women through workshops that included:

Technical capacities

• Assertion Evidence Presentation Skills (by WPI Engineering Ambassadors)
• Lab Safety- as required (WPI Environmental Health & Safety)

Career and professional growth

• College Admissions Process (by WPI Dean of Admissions)
• Conceited or Self-Confident (by WRAMP Grad mentors)
• Failure & Growth Mindset (WRAMP UG mentor)
• Imposter Syndrome (WRAMP Grad)
• Resume Writing (WRAMP UG mentor)
• Girl Boss (WRAMP UG Mentor)

Women in STEM Day is an intergenerational event for high school women and their champions, as well as high school educators. This program was designed to inspire the next generation of women in STEM to be scientists, mathematicians, and engineers eager to solve the problems in our communities and the world. The program also sought to educate their champions so they can support students on their academic journey and provide professional development for educators to bring back to their classroom.

Students and Champions participated in hands-on workshops related to the research of WPI women faculty and graduate students. They took part in a team design challenge and worked alongside and learn from successful women in STEM at WPI. 

Educators (teachers and guidance counselors) participated in a professional development workshop and joined students and champions for a hands-on workshop and design challenge.

The program was divided into multiple tracks to cater to the varied interests of the participants.

Track 1: Creative Medicine

Biology & Biotechnology

• Molecular Detectives: finding the causes of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Biomedical Engineering

• What does slime have to do with biomedical engineering?

Track 2: Sustainable Tomorrow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Eco-Water Solutions for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Robotics Engineering

• Imagine a Robot…

Track 3: Puzzling STEM 

Interactive Media & Game Design

• Generative Design: introducing computing in creative application

Mathematical Sciences

• Women in STEM @ WPI Scavenger Hunt
• Educator Track
• Meaningful Learning: Engaging Women in STE

Afternoon Design Challenge

• Design for Disaster Relief

Free event for Children, Youth, Families, and the Community to learn and explore the wonders of STEM in daily life and careers through fun hands-on experience activities, exhibits, and demonstrations presented by colleges, organizations, and businesses. 

WPI Announcement: https://www.wpi.edu/news/announcements/wpi-supports-mass-stem-week-central-ma

WPI Students in the Teacher Preparation Program and Mass Academy volunteered their time to bring engaging and informative STEM activities to middle and high school students attending the AVANZA STEM Expo 2024. This event was held by the Latino Education Institute (LEI) at Worcester State University (WSU), which offered workshops on various STEM topics featuring different types of "hands-on" STEM experiences. The Expo aimed to spark interest in STEM and encourage students to explore STEM fields.  

WPI Announcement: https://www.wpi.edu/news/announcements/wpi-students-inspire-stem-curiosity-among-middle-and-high-school-students-avanza-stem-expo-2024

The experimental course Teaching K-12 STEM in the Community prepares WPI students to engage with Worcester community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop "student- teacher" relationships that enable reciprocal learning of each other's assets and lived experiences.

The Spring 2024 course aimed to provide practice in developing and facilitating culturally responsive K-12 STEM activities informed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) curriculum frameworks, which foster student-centered learning and meet the needs of diverse groups of learners.

WPI students in the EDU 2300 course also interacted with community members, educators, and K-12 students within the local educational ecosystem, such as after-school programs at Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). Students learned about equity in STEM opportunities in local contexts and adapting "High-Quality" STEM activities and lessons.

Students co-developed a STEM activity/lesson plan at the appropriate level of the learners at after-school programs, incorporating culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogical practices with input from CBO staff. The Teacher Prep students learned about appropriate student engagement strategies, pacing, sequence, resources, grouping, and purposeful questioning. They facilitated a STEM lesson twice as a team at a community-based organization and were observed and evaluated by WPI TPP faculty. Students facilitated their STEM lesson at YMCA Greendale Worcester, El Buen Samaritano (EBS), and the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central MA (SEACMA). 

WPI Announcement: https://www.wpi.edu/news/announcements/new-wpi-teacher-prep-courses-piloted-future-k-12-stem-teachers

Since 2020, Professor Rodica Neamtu has guided over 30 students on more than five Major Qualifying Projects (MQP) focused on improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

One of these projects is the EcoTarium Explorer, a smartphone application designed by computer science and data science students Dylan Olmsted, Joseph Fox, Brandon Vuong, Owen McGinley, and Dylan Phillips to improve the experience of visually impaired visitors to the Worcester EcoTarium. 

This application offers personalized descriptions of artworks and outdoor science exhibits and navigational guidance to empower guests as they explore the museum independently. With its user-friendly interface, the EcoTarium Explorer aims to foster a deeper connection between visitors and the exhibits, enabling exploration of the museum's outdoor spaces across its expansive campus on the city's east side. Through simple access to brief, either visible or audible, descriptions at the push of a button, the application seeks to enrich the experience of visually impaired individuals during their visit.

This innovative app was built upon the knowledge gained from MQPs listed below:

• Audio Journal – Empowering Visually Impaired People to Access Exhibits at the Worcester Museum of Art
• Audio Journal Android Application
• Audio Journal App Continuation
• App for Audio Journal
• Creating an App for Audio Journal's Print Disabled Listeners

Girls Talk Math (GTM), led by professor Francesa Bernardi, is a mathematics and media day camp for rising 9th-12th grade girls and non-binary students. This program lasts two weeks from 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Students work in groups on a challenging STEM problem set and research the life and work of a scientist from a marginalized group. 

This year, 35 girls and non-binary students from more than 20 high school participated in Girls Talk Math 2024 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Student teams produced a presentation about the topic they learned and wrote and recorded a podcast about the scientist they researched. More than 60 podcasts are available at https://girlstalkmath.com and on iTunes and SoundCloud. 

GTM camps have hosted more than 400 students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (founding chapter, since 2016), at the University of Maryland at College Park (sister chapter, since 2018), and at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (sister chapter, since 2022).

Since 2020, Professor Rodica Neamtu has guided over 30 students on more than five Major Qualifying Projects (MQP) focused on improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

One of these projects is Beyond the Visual, a smartphone application developed by computer science and data science students Timothy Connors, Randy Dyer and Theo Coppola. The app allows visually impaired visitors of the Worcester Art Museum to read or hear a description of an artwork by opening the app and holding their phone close to a near-field communication tag, or NFC tag—similar to a QR code—mounted next to selected artworks.

This innovative app was built upon the knowledge gained from MQPs listed below:

• Audio Journal – Empowering Visually Impaired People to Access Exhibits at the Worcester Museum of Art
• Audio Journal Android Application
• Audio Journal App Continuation
• App for Audio Journal
• Creating an App for Audio Journal's Print Disabled Listeners

Christian Rua completed his student teaching practicum in 5-12 Digital Literacy/Computer Science through WPI's Teacher Preparation Program. Teacher candidates complete Massachusetts state requirements for Initial licensure and all requirements for the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP). 

Christian described his experience in the following words: "At Claremont Academy, a public high school in the Worcester Public Schools district, I taught four classes differing in grade level and content. My practicum was completed under the mentorship of Kismet Fair, supervising practitioner, Tamisha Thompson, program supervisor, and Jillian DiBonaventura, project advisor."

https://sites.google.com/view/christianrua-tpp/

This 3-session professional development focused on introducing the school’s educators to the benefits of PBL/STEM & how to integrate STEM across content areas. 

PD Goals and Objectives
At the end of the PD series, participating educators will -
1. Enhance their knowledge about the benefits of the PBL/STEM approach to teaching & learning
2. Unpack the problem solving process (engineering design process) 
3. Experience first-hand PBL/STEM task and discuss considerations for classroom implementation
4. Review PBL/STEM resources
5. Identify a real-world problem/question related to one of their current units/topics and create an extension that includes a problem solving opportunity.

This PD focused on supporting a team of education leaders from the school in planning and implementing classroom experiences that engage students in meaningful learning, promote creativity and problem-solving skills, and build confidence and excitement among the school community (students, teachers, and families). Tentative agenda is provided in the next pages, to be reviewed and discussed prior to the PD.

PD Goals and Objectives
At the end of the PD series, participating educators will -
1. Identify the gaps in achievement and motivation among school’s student population, as compared with students from the district and the state;
2. Review successful STEM and PBL schools, and discuss the benefits of student-centered instruction;
3. Create a vision for STEM/PBL at the school, including a set of goals, a portrait of the Vernon Hills graduate, and an implementation plan that will lead to a school-wide adoption of the new pedagogy.
4. Identify a framework that guide’s the school’s instructional materials (STEM/PBL), as well as framework for equity & justice in STEM education;
5. Increase their knowledge the engineering design process (EDP) and their comfort level in embedding problem-solving activities within their subject;
6. Have teachers pilot STEM/PBL lessons and units in their classrooms, reflect on the experience, and invite other teachers to observe;
7. Plan for a school-wide implementation of STEM/PBL units.

This professional development focused on supporting WooLabs’ partners in understanding the components of high quality project/problem based learning(PBL) and developing lessons for their programs through a series of workshops and consultations.
 

The experimental course Community Engagement & Pre-Practicum in Teaching prepares WPI students to engage with Worcester community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop "student- teacher" relationships that enable reciprocal learning of each other's assets and lived experiences.

The Spring 2024 course aimed to provide practice in developing and facilitating culturally responsive K-12 STEM activities informed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) curriculum frameworks, which foster student-centered learning and meet the needs of diverse groups of learners.   

Students created authentic connections with K -12 learners while examining and redefining "community" and "community engagement." They learned to see things from different cultural perspectives and to approach interactions with humility and respect for other cultures. The CBOs where students volunteered included the YWCA after-school programming at Clark Street Elementary, African Community Education (ACE), and Southeast Asian Coalition of Central MA (SEACMA).    

WPI Announcement: https://www.wpi.edu/news/announcements/new-wpi-teacher-prep-courses-piloted-future-k-12-stem-teachers

MeDHigh is a four-week summer program founded by Dr. Solomon Mensah, co-founded by Dr. Dirk Albert, and supported by Abigail Holmes and Priscilla Nkwantabisa. The program is designed to introduce talented and self-motivated rising 11th-grade students to the field of biomedical engineering, with a focus on designing medical devices for global impact. The goal of the program is to engage high school students in groups underrepresented in the industry to encourage them to consider STEM education.

This year, seven students from Worcester Technical High School and Doherty Memorial High School worked on three specific projects:

• Project 1: Drone to deliver simple medical supplies to remote areas.
• Project 2: Water filter to provide drinkable water for people with low incomes. 
• Project 3: A solar-powered device to sterilize equipment for obstetrics and gynecology in places where electricity is unavailable. 

The curriculum for MeDHigh, was developed by Dr. Mensah and Dr. Albrecht, with support from Abigail Holmes ’24 biomedical engineering (BS) and operations and supply chain analytics (MS). Student participants received a stipend and all the supplies they needed, and were provided breakfast and lunch daily when on campus. The program was funded by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with WPI providing the program and lab spaces.

WPI Journal: https://wp.wpi.edu/journal/articles/qa-solomon-mensah-on-encouraging-stem-careers/

This 4-day professional development training focused on the storyline model of teaching and learning science. It modeled and guided educators through the shift toward student centered science teaching & learning, where students ‘figure out' and explain a real-world phenomenon, as well as addressed the implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). Throughout the training, participants experienced the different routines & pedagogies associated with the storyline model of teaching science (using an OpenSciEd unit), as well as worked with colleagues to review a grade-specific storyline-based unit and planned for adaptation or implementation in their classrooms. 

This professional development focused on working with MS-HS science educators at Quincy Public Schools in two workshops: meaningful learning and the Storyline Model of Teaching & Learning. 

PD Goals & Objectives
Following the PD session, participating educators will -
1. Increase their knowledge about the process of solving problems (for engineering) and figuring out (for science);
2. Discuss the pedagogical shift in science and STEM education that puts the student at the center of their own learning, and increasing access through meaningful phenomena;
3. Experience a real-world science/problem-solving task as students, and reflect on the experience as educators; and
4. In grade level teams, review resources and discuss classroom implementation challenges and opportunities.

This 6-session professional development series focused on guiding the district’s unified arts teachers in making connections to STEM and problem-solving, by adding real-world problems to their units.

PD Goals and Objectives

1. Enhance their knowledge about the benefits of the PBL/STEM approach to teaching & learning
2. Unpack the problem-solving process (engineering design process) 
3. Experience first-hand PBL/STEM tasks and discuss considerations for classroom implementation
4. Review PBL/STEM resources
5. Identify meaningful standard-aligned real-world problems that could enhance current units
6. Identify cooperative and collaborative classroom strategies that support equitable problem solving
7. Discuss collaboration with classroom teachers and/or among unified arts teachers

Faculty from the Materials and Mechanical Department and the STEM Education Office, in partnership with the City of Worcester Parks and Recreation, learned about the water quality sampling process at Coes Lake to replicate the sampling at WPI labs. In-service and pre-service teachers from the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) participated in this activity. Graduate and undergraduate students also joined the sampling exercise.

Junior Academy Provides Middle School Students with Enriching STEM Experiences.

Junior Academy at Mass Academy of Math & Science offered a two-week summer program for middle school students. The program is designed to strengthen and diversify the STEM pipeline. Students participated in various project-based activities in ELA, math, and STEM, providing them with an enriching learning experience.

Students had the opportunity to visit and experience WPI labs, such as MassDigi, AVMI, BETC, Practice Point, Fire Lab, and Robotics. Additionally, they took a field trip to the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University. Students ate lunch at Morgan dining hall every day.  

The program ran for two weeks from 8 am to 3 pm, with after-school programming from 3 pm to 5 pm, designed to accommodate working families’ schedules. Students in the after-school programming participated in different team-building and hands-on activities. 

In its second year, the Junior Academy summer program welcomed 47 middle school students from 16 different schools in Worcester.

This past summer (2024), two Teacher Prep students participated in WPI Noyce Internships at African Community Education (ACE) in Worcester. The Teacher Prep students brought their content knowledge and passion for STEM to ACE, where they also served as mentors to K-12 students, inspiring the next generation of learners. 

During their 3–6 week summer internship, the WPI students developed and implemented engaging and interactive STEM learning opportunities.  For instance, Jake Maglio and Evelyn Hubbard provided fun and engaging hands-on STEM activities. They also tutored reading and math for the English Language learning students at ACE. Furthermore, the two WPI students built strong relationships with the students and watched the students thrive throughout the program. 

This PD introduced the school’s educators to the benefits of STEM and problem solving, providing guidance and resources for incorporating a problem solving task into their teaching. 

PD Goals and Objectives
At the end of the PD day, participating educators will -
1. Enhance their knowledge about the benefits of the STEM approach to teaching & learning
2. Unpack the problem solving process (engineering design process) and create classroom visuals for their students
3. Experience first-hand STEM/problem-solving task and discuss considerations for classroom implementation
4. Review resources
5. Identify a real-world problem/question related to one of their current units/topics and discuss an extension that includes a problem-solving opportunity.

For this project, the Center worked with the YWCA staff through a series of 3 PBL workshops during the 2023-2024 academic year. The goals of the PD series include increasing educators’ knowledge and practice of implementing open-ended STEM focused PBL experiences with their students.

This PD focused on working with the district’s grade 6-8 educators to introduce and enhance their pedagogical knowledge and confidence in facilitating OpenSciEd/storyline units with integrity. It began with a 4-day summer PD followed by a series of support sessions during the academic year.

PD Goals & Objectives
Following the PD session, participating educators will -

1. Expand their knowledge about the shift in science education instruction: focusing on student-led science inquiry (the storyline)
2. Unpack the process of “figuring out” and how it aligns with Massachusetts STE framework (core ideas & practices)
3. Experience the different routines & pedagogies associated with the storyline model of teaching science & engineering (as students)
4. Work with colleagues to review a grade-specific storyline-based unit and plan for classroom implementation
5. Increase their self-efficacy (comfort level + preparedness) to teach a storyline-based unit
6. Address relevant problems of practice raised by the teachers; for example, supporting MLLs, or fostering classroom discussions, as well as other topics brought up by the teachers
7. Provided access and guidance about OSE implementation resources

This PD series focused on supporting the District’s MS science council teachers in the process of implementing OpenSciEd curriculum. 

PD Goals and Objectives
At the end of the PD series, participating educators will -

1. Identify problems of practice and recommended approaches with regard to OSE implementation
2. Identify resources to support OSE implementation
3. Enhance knowledge and routines in support of OSE implementation
4. Create a collaborative space for educators to connect and learn from each other

This PD focused on training and support for the science teachers on High Quality Instructional Materials (OpenSciEd curriculum) that align with the Massachusetts STE Framework to address science teaching and learning loss that has occurred over the last few years. 

Goals for the PD series:

1. Expand participants knowledge about the shift in science education instruction: focusing on student-led science inquiry (the storyline)
2. Unpack the process of “figuring out” and how it aligns with Mass’ STE framework (core ideas & practices)
3. Experience the different routines & pedagogies associated with the storyline model of teaching science
4. Work with colleagues to review a grade-specific OpenSciEd unit and plan implementation in their classrooms.
5. Support participants in developing classroom routines that engage students in sensemaking, allow for deeper learning and enable equitable assessment strategies.

This full day PD focused on working with grade 6-12 science teachers to develop standards-aligned learning targets in support of best practices in assessment design and implementation.

Goals & Objectives for the PD series
Following the PD session, participating educators will -

1. Experience a high-quality science performance assessment;
2. Increase their understanding of the components of high-quality science lessons;
3. Increase their understanding of 2-dimensional (2-D) teaching of science;
4. Review examples of 2-D performance assessment rubrics;
5. Develop 2-D learning targets for a science standard of their choice;
6. Share learning targets, receive/provide feedback;
7. Develop a draft of a 2-D single point rubric (as time allows)

This PD focused on guiding early childhood educators through unpacking the problem-solving process and being introduced to the Seeds of STEM curriculum.

Goals and Objectives
Following all PD sessions, participating educators will -

1. Increase their knowledge of the problem-solving process;
2. Experience the process of solving problems in children’s books;
3. Identify books, stories, and daily opportunities that could be used to help their students develop problem solving skills;
4. Learn about the Seeds of STEM curriculum, approach, and structure;
5. Compare and analyze the alignment between social emotional learning and approaches to play with the process of problem solving.

This PD focused on guiding early childhood educators through unpacking the problem-solving process and being introduced to the Seeds of STEM curriculum.

Goals and Objectives

1. Unpack STEAM & Problem Solving for Head Start contexts
2. Experience the process of solving problems in children’s books
3. Identify books, stories, and daily opportunities that could be used to help their students develop problem solving skills
4. Connect with colleagues to reflect, share, and learn from one another

As part of Mass STEM Week 2024, the Worcester Boys & Girls Club and the Central MA STEM Network (CMSN) Ecosystem hosted a Family STEM Night Event with 24 exhibitors, including 12 stations by WPI Faculty and students. The STEM Education Center coordinated the event. Exhibitors offered hands-on STEM activities, demonstrated how STEM is part of the daily lives of families, and career information in STEM for all ages.  Roughly 150 students and families participated.

WPI Faculty & Students bring hands-on STEM activities to Family STEM Night at Boys & Girls Club, Worcester

WPI students Keerthana Cheelamanthula, Robotics Engineering, and Brandon Dodier, Biomedical Engineering, worked as Edison Robotics Instructors for the YWCA summer camp.