WORCESTER, Massachusetts — Dylan Ham, a member of the Class of 2023 majoring in mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, recently completed a senior thesis that is required of all graduating seniors as part of the university’s distinctive project-based educational experience. The project, Non-linear spring systems for managing loads in soccer shoes, was Ham’s Major Qualifying Project, one that is usually team-based and often focuses on very specific issues or needs of an organization that has partnered with the university to sponsor the student’s work.
“It’s inspiring to see the creativity and skills that our students bring to these projects, as well as the professionalism with which they present their research,” says Arne Gericke, interim dean of undergraduate studies and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. “Their experience managing a major project like this-including identifying a problem and researching all of the implications and possible solutions while also managing team dynamics over an extended period of several months-sets them up well for success not only in their first jobs after graduation but throughout their careers.”
A signature element of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI, project-based learning offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to real problems that affect the quality of people’s lives-an experience that changes the student and their world.
In addition to providing tangible work experience that proves valuable to employers, MQPs often lead to publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at regional and national conferences, patents, and entrepreneurial ventures. Others become useful innovations and products for their corporate sponsors.
Prior to their MQP, students complete an Interactive Qualifying Project, usually in their junior year, with a team of other students across disciplines; the projects may or may not relate to the students’ fields of study and are sponsored by organizations across the globe to give students real-world experience addressing problems that lie at the intersection of science and society. Approximately 85% of WPI students complete a project at one of the university’s 50-plus off-campus project centers located in more than 30 countries around the world.
