Hampden Resident Caitlin Swalec Returns from Intensive Research Project

2016 Apr 8

Caitlin Swalec of Hampden, Maine, a member of the class of 2016 majoring in chemical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), recently completed an intense, hands-on project in Nancy, France. The project was titled Characterizing Lumber Leachate by Tree Species.

At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project addressing a challenge in their major field of study. About two-thirds of students complete a project at one of the university's more than 45 off-campus project centers, which are located around the world. A signature element of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI, the project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to develop thoughtful solutions to real problems that affect the quality of people's lives-and make a difference before they graduate.

"The WPI project-based curriculum's focus on global studies brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge to solve real problems," said Professor Richard Vaz, dean of the WPI Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division. "Students are immersed in all aspects of a different culture, from the way people live and work to the values they hold to the foods they eat-all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today's global marketplace. They also learn the meaning and magic of teamwork; make valuable contributions to a problem in their field; and gain a competitive edge for any resume, or graduate or professional school application."