Enhancing Alzheimer's Care at Christopher House Through Sensory Stimulation Interventions

As we age, our senses deteriorate and become less responsive. In those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), numerous senses, including vision, hearing, smell, touch, and taste become severely impaired. Prior studies have shown that these sensory impairments may prompt various behavioral and psychological symptoms and exacerbate cognitive decline. Thus, engaging in meaningful and intentional sensory activities to stimulate these senses is instrumental. Unfortunately, these sensory activities are often underutilized at dementia nursing facilities, thus leaving residents at severe risk of sensory deprivation. As part of this project, we proposed to introduce sensory stimulation interventions to the Brookside dementia unit at Christopher House, a nursing facility in Worcester, Massachusetts. To achieve this, we conducted 3 in-depth interviews with staff at Christopher House and 17 interviews with sensory and Alzheimer’s experts worldwide to identify gaps and best practices. In addition, we performed a systematic review of 20 multisensory studies, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies, between 2000 and 2024 to seek evidence-based practices. Our findings underscored the significance of personalization, meaning and purpose, intentional engagement, consistency, direct attention, sensory overload, and staff training when designing and facilitating these activities. We summarized these findings in the form of a 3D pilot render of a multisensory room and a personalized sensory handbook for activities staff. In sum, our findings revealed the remarkable potential of sensory interventions to revolutionize AD care

Unmanned ground vehicle mechanical design for off-road mobility

In this MQP, the team redesigned the Autonomous Vehicle Mobility Institute's Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) to serve as a testing platform for off-road vehicle performance in unstructured environments. The project addressed three main tasks: balancing weight distribution, redesigning the power system, and integrating a stereo camera into the perception system with corresponding software upgrades. To achieve balanced weight distribution, custom brackets were designed and manufactured to correct the original asymmetrical chassis. The power system was significantly improved by replacing the batteries and adding peripherals, reducing weight by over 65% (from 100 lb to 34 lb) while increasing capacity from 35 Ah to 100 Ah. Additionally, stereo vision was integrated into the perception system, the operating system was transitioned from Windows to Ubuntu Linux, and software enhancements—including comprehensive documentation, code refactoring, declarative configurations, and version control—were implemented. These improvements position the UGV as an advanced platform for future autonomous development

Data-Driven Marketing Analysis for Music Worcester

Music Worcester is a non-profit organization and a key pillar in the cultural arts community in the Greater Worcester area. They host a myriad of musical performances, including choral, dance, brass, classical, and contemporary music. This project analyzes Music Worcester’s ticket sales data, utilizing patron segmentation, time series analysis, statistical modeling, and data visualization techniques to identify customer tendencies. Based on these results, marketing strategies were proposed to better target key demographics, increase ticket sales, and encourage repeat patronage

Analyses of Kek1 binding to the EGFR

The Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase, whose activation controls cell proliferation, survival, migration, and cell fate determination. As such, activating mutations to EGFR is associated with many cancers, including those of the breast, brain, and lung. Therapeutic approaches typically involve molecules designed to inhibit the receptor (Wieduwilt et al., 2008). Kekkon1 is an inhibitor of Drosophila EGFR (dEGFR) and is one of a family (Kek) of six transmembrane molecules in Drosophila. Interestingly, within the family only Kek1 inhibits the Drosophila receptor and the extracellular and transmembrane regions have been identified as the domains required for inhibition. The extracellular region consists of N-insert, seven LRRs, flanked by cysteine rich domains and an Ig domain. While the importance of the LRRs to Kek1’s ability to bind the receptor have been established, key questions remain. Are the cysteine rich flanking regions involved in binding, what LRR residues within the predicted binding pocket drive specificity of the interaction, and is the N-insert required for inhibition in vivo? To investigate these, I: undertook a combined phylogenetic and biochemical analyses of Kek1 orthologs, generated a Kek1 variant lacking the N-insert, Kek1∆N, for in vivo functional tests, and used in silico modeling to examine the predicted binding pocket. By better defining the key sequence features of the binding pocket, I hope to solve the binding pocket puzzle. This critical insight to the inhibitory mechanism of Kek1 could then provide the basis for future cancer therapeutics

Redesigning Bus Transit in Worcester, Massachusetts

The goal of this project was to improve bus service for the people of Worcester by improving the Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s (WRTA) bus frequency and reliability within the system, enhancing route transfers across the city, elevating the user experience, and boosting ridership. This study analyzed the current bus service system of the WRTA using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis as well as in-person site visits. GIS analyses included distance to bus stops, using both buffers and isochrones, ridership by stop, and frequency and efficiency of bus route travel. The group also used AutoCAD to create mock-ups of potential sites for Mini-Hubs—locations that would facilitate cross-system travel. This project was designed to create tangible and implementable results

Bridging Educational Gaps in Panama: AI Coach for WRO

Limited funding, technology, and teacher training in Panamanian public schools hinder access to hands-on STEAM education. Supported by FUNDESTEAM, a nonprofit expanding access to robotics education, we developed a low-cost, scalable AI coach to guide students and teachers preparing for the World Robot Olympiad. Grounded in Panama’s educational landscape through archival research, interviews, and ethnographic observation, our proof-of-concept AI provides structured guidance and problem-solving support through adaptive, class-based responses. The modular design allows new features with minimal coding, while knowledge and behavior expansion require none. We recommend future teams enhance the AI’s functionality, deepen its knowledge base, integrate learning science, and test in classrooms

Automating Resonant Frequency and Weight Characterization of Percussion Drumsticks at Vater Percussion

The objective of the project is to design an automated system to sort drumsticks based on weight and resonant frequency for Vater Percussion. The rationale for the project is that by automating this sorting process, Vater employees will be able to spend more time on other processes in their facility that require more human attention and industry knowledge. The state of the art is a manual, human-run sorting process with three workstations. The methods used include axiomatic design, time studies, financial analysis, CAD modeling, and an in-person simulation of our design with the use of a collaborative robot. The results show that we were able to design a sorting system with independent tasks that decreases processing time and necessary man-hours. Our team can reach two fundamental conclusions based on the results. First, an automated sorting system is effective in relieving personnel to focus on more important tasks. Second, an automated sorting system has a positive return-on-investment due to the man-hours it saves. Our proof-of-concept demonstrates the effectiveness of using a collaborative robot to automate the stick sorting process and achieve the results stated above

Renovation of WPI Townhouses for Community Space

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has invested time and resources into exploring potential redesigns and renovations of the Townhouses to increase the housing option’s desirability. This Major Qualifying Project focuses on designing and renovating the Townhouses to incorporate a community space using architectural design and structural engineering analysis. The scope of the proposed renovation includes the design of architectural programming and concepts, the structural schemes of a wood structure and a wood-steel hybrid structure, and mechanical systems based on changes to the building envelope and building thermal calculations

Enhancing the Accessibility of Privacy Policies Using Generative AI

This project addressed the complexity of privacy policies, often inaccessible to users due to their length and technical language. To address this challenge, our team created a generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) WebUI tool for summarizing privacy policies. The tool uses user-specific inputs, including age and education level, to tailor privacy policy summaries to a user’s level of understanding. Furthermore, we incorporated prompt engineering and readability metrics for improved comprehension of privacy policies. The tool was developed and refined based on feedback received from surveying 100 WPI students and beta testing our tool with 5 WPI students. By simplifying privacy policies, this tool empowers users to make informed decisions regarding their digital privacy, and this tool has the opportunity to be further developed by future teams

Hydrodynamic Flexible Spindle Polishing of Complex Channels

Complex channels, featuring small diameters, extended lengths, tortuosity, internal branching, thin walls, non-uniform cross-sections, and/or high length to diameter (L:Ø), are designed and fabricated for optimized thermal and fluid transfer efficiency in aerospace, energy, and tooling industries. Polishing these channels to improve internal surface finishing is critical to fatigue life, dimensional integrity, corrosion resistance, and fluid flow efficiency. Hydrodynamic flexible spindle (HydroFlex) polishing uses a high-speed fixed-abrasive grinding wheel driven by a flexible spindle to navigate through complex internal channels for fast, uniform, and controllable material removal and surface improvement. Critical to HydroFlex polishing is the presence and consistency of consistent grinding wheel orbital motion around the internal contour of the channel for controllable, consistent, and efficient surface improvement. The wheel orbital motion is a result of a dynamic equilibrium among the hydrodynamic force from the surrounding coolant, the grinding force for material removal, and the elastic force introduced by the flexible spindle. The influence of HydroFlex polishing parameters, including fluid viscosity, wheel rotational speed, and grinding wheel and spindle properties on these forces and the presence and consistency of the wheel orbital motion is challenging to understand due to complicated underlying physical phenomena. This dissertation establishes the fundamental physical relationships between wheel motion, hydrodynamic force generation, and polishing performance in HydroFlex polishing of both conventionally and additively manufactured metallic channels. First, a Taguchi-based sensitivity analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of wheel geometry, fluid viscosity, rotational speed, and workpiece material on orbital frequency and polishing outcome. The results showed that wheel orbit frequency and consistency are influenced by grinding speeds, channel material, and fluid media with down-grinding motion and stable orbital frequencies up to 588 Hz. Performance in deal conditions validated HydroFlex, producing rough surface reduction from 13.4 μm (as-built) to below 1.2 μm. Second, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to elucidate the hydrodynamic forces acting on the wheel under varying viscosity and rotational speed. The model revealed that rotationally induced asymmetric pressure gradients around the grinding zone are the dominant source of the tangential hydrodynamic force responsible for orbital motion in high viscosity fluids. A process map revealed viscosity and rotational speed regions, above which, this hydrodynamic component exceeds the grinding contact force, inverting the orbital direction to upgrinding. Simulated and experimental force comparisons confirmed that the transition between up- and down-grinding can be controlled through direct modification of grinding zone forces. Finally, HydroFlex was applied to curved and tapered channels representative of turbine cooling and fuel delivery systems. X-ray computed tomography and optical profilometry quantified the geometric and topographical evolution during polishing. For 10 mm and 25 mm radius channels, circularity error was reduced by over 60%, and surface roughness decreased from 10–12 μm to below 1.5 μm. In tapered geometries, HydroFlex maintained the originally specified dimension within ±1%, demonstrating its capacity for dimensional control even in non-uniform internal profiles. These findings collectively establish a model of the hydrodynamic and grinding forces governing orbital motion in HydroFlex polishing. By linking flow-field behavior, force dynamics, and material removal characteristics, this work provides a unified framework for predictive HydroFlex process control. The outcomes demonstrate that HydroFlex can achieve controllable, uniform surface finishing in complex channels while preserving dimensional fidelity, advancing its applicability for post-processing of additively manufactured and conventionally fabricated aerospace and energy components