The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/65892
Wπ staged Flying Drones to the Rescue POOR CINDERELLA. Tormented by her evil stepsisters, she hasn't a friend in the ZRUOGŐH[FHSW IRU D UDJ WDJ ƃRFN RI WDONLQJ ELUGV ,Q %URDGZD\ SURGXFWLRQV RI Stephen Sondheim's musical "Into the Woods," the birds are dangled on strings, in an intentionally low-tech comedic effect. Onstage at WPI, they hover atop a Linux-operated robotic quadricopter remotely piloted by wire- less joystick controls on an iPod Touch. 92; :3,ŒV VWXGHQW UXQ PXVLFDO WKHDWUH FRPSDQ\ SHUIRUPHG 6RQGKHLPŒV "Into the Woods" last September, directed by theatre instructor Kristy Cham- brelli. The play weaves together familiar fairytales in a dark comedy that chal- lenges the meaning of "happily ever after." Robotics engineering major Chris Whipple '12 served as "bird wrangler" for the production, maneuvering his own Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter from offstage, guided by onboard cameras DQG VHQVRUV 7KH őFRSWHUŐZKLFK KH XVHV LQ UHDO OLIH WR WHVW ƃLJKW FRGH FRPPDQGV for his MQP—was dressed up for the play with cut-out paper birds. Ŕ:3, KDV D WUDGLWLRQ RI EHLQJ JHHN\ DQG GRLQJ WKLQJV WKH KDUG ZD\ ŕ ODXJKV 92; Chelsea Miller '13 as Cinderella advisor Thomas Collins, who served as executive producer for the show. Other tech effects LQ :3, WKHDWUH KDYH LQFOXGHG D ƂEHU RSWLF KDLUSLHFH DQ RQVWDJH VKRZHU ZLWK ZRUNLQJ SOXPE- LQJ XVHG LQ Ŕ6RXWK 3DFLƂFŕ IRU Ŕ,ŒP *RQQD :DVK 7KDW 0DQ 5LJKW 2XWWD 0\ +DLU ŕ DQG YLUWXDO UHDO- ity projections to dramatize the inner madness in Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." dream team Three Deans, One Course Innovative new class covers leadership, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship WHAT'S BETTER than taking a class with the dean? How about an interdisciplinary course co-taught by all three of WPI's deans? In B-Term, 25 undergraduates had the oppor- tunity to take an experimental course called "Leadership, Creativity, Innovation, and Entre- preneurship," with School of Business dean Mark Rice as lead instructor, Karen Kash- manian Oates, dean of arts and sciences, and Selçuk Güçeri, dean of engineering, as co- instructors. The course explored different approaches to the world's great problems, and students began by acquainting themselves with the National Academy of Engineering's 14 "Grand Challenges of Engineering" in areas such as food and energy supply, healthcare, and global sustainability. The curriculum included readings on cre- ativity, design thinking, and radical innova- tion, as well as an opportunity to conduct Q&A;'s with successful entrepreneurs. Stu- Güçeri, Oates, Rice dents were challenged to analyze and im- prove on the actions of CEOs in case studies. 'XULQJ WKH ƂQDO FODVV WKH\ UHƃHFWHG RQ OHDG- ership lessons gleaned from Sir Ernest Shack- leton's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. "It is good to learn from my mistakes, but it is also very valuable to learn from the good and bad experiences of others," says MIS major Luis Quiroga '12. "The examples presented by the deans were unique, and the conclusions were invaluable." Another important lesson? "Con- tributing innovation is simple compared to the GLIƂFXOW\ RI VHOOLQJ \RXU LQYHQWLRQ ŕ 4XLURJD says. "Without sustainability and good human capital management, the invention may not make it." The course was designed to help stu- dents see beyond just the technical solution. "The learning experience in this course," says Quiroga, "was to see beyond a singular techni- cal solution and to appreciate the challenges of implementation. We focused not only on con- verting technologies into innovative products and services , but then on how to bring those products to the global marketplace." Spring 2012 19