WORCESTER, Massachusetts — Hayden O’Connell, a member of the Class of 2026 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. O’Connell’s Major Qualifying Project, a research-driven, professional-level project that challenges students to solve the kinds of problems they would typically encounter in their professional discipline, was titled “Design and Manufacturing of a Fly Reel”.
“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,” Arne Gericke, interim dean of undergraduate studies and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, said. “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.”
WPI’s innovative undergraduate education is centered around project-based learning, a hands-on approach that offers students opportunities to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to real-world, open-ended problems. These projects produce tangible results that affect the quality of people’s lives, an experience that changes both the student and their world.
MQPs are usually team-based and often focus on specific issues or needs of an organization that has partnered with the university to sponsor the students’ work. In addition to providing practical work experience that proves valuable to future 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.
