The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/277771
44 Spring 2014 news from HIGGINS HOUSE B oasting a combined 80 years and thousands of alumni having com- pleted a wide range of projects, three WPI project centers celebrat- ed milestone anniversaries in 2013. At its 40th, the Washington Project Cen- ter stands as the senior member of the trio, with Venice and Wall Street marking 25th and 15th, respectively. Through the Global Perspective Program, WPI project centers give undergraduate students an opportuni- ty to address real-world problems while completing their IQP and MQP require- ments at more than 35 locations around the globe. Kent Rissmiller, director of the Washing- ton Project Center, says the center's loca- tion makes it attractive to students. "Stu- dents get to work with government employees in a highly professional envi- ronment on problems that the [sponsor] agencies have identifed," he explains. He also believes the time spent in Wash- ington makes a lasting impact on students, and many look for ways to stay. "We have an active alumni group in the Washington area, and whenever I meet with them, they often tell me about their IQPs from years ago." One of the center's alumni is current WPI Trustee Fred Rucker '81, who complet- ed his IQP in 1980. Sponsors of projects at the Washington center have been primarily federal agen- cies, but some work is done for neighbor- ing states and public advocacy groups. The overarching theme, Rissmiller says, is to engage students in public service and give them an opportunity to learn about gov- ernment from the inside. As the center embarks upon its next 40 years, Rissmiller says he has certain goals in mind. "I'm always looking to expand the number of organizations that we're work- ing with. In the past, we have worked with the Smithsonian Institution and the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration. I'd like to get our students back into those organizations." One street, three nations The Wall Street Project Center is somewhat deceptively named, according to director Arthur Gerstenfeld. While the street itself is in New York City, the center has three in- ternational locations: New York, London, and Glasgow. "It was for many years just in New York," explains Gerstenfeld. "However, as the fnancial institutions grew, London became a very important hub and we started doing projects there. Most recently, JP Morgan has asked us to do two projects in Scotland." Not surprisingly, the focus of the Wall Street Project Center is on how to make f- nancial transactions more effcient. On a typical day, the New York Stock Exchange trades more than 600 million shares and the London Stock Exchange, three billion. That makes it quite a challenge, Gerstenfeld points out, to keep things running smooth- ly. And the possibility of seeing their solu- Three project centers celebrate key anniversaries WPI_Spring14_Alumni.indd 44 3/9/14 2:14 PM