N. Aaron Deskins
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
Prague Project Center Director
It is important that students learn beyond the classroom, to gain experience working on ‘real-world’ problems. The Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) gives our students an opportunity to make the world a better place. Our students are very talented and hardworking, and they are ready to solve the challenges and problems that local communities and organizations in Prague face. I’m excited to be part of the Prague Project Center. Prague is a wonderful city at the heart of a wonderful country!
Marie T. Keller
Professor, Department of Humanities and Arts
Prague Project Center Director
Among the IQPs offered through WPI’s Prague Center are projects promoting Czech puppetry and animation to an international audience. WPI students are both inventive problem solvers and students of the humanities & arts, so they offer unique skillsets to serve organizations. Through their immersive experiences in Prague, I hope they develop lifelong appreciation for Czech culture and friendships with their Czech peers.
W. A. Bland Addison
Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary & Global Studies
Prague Project Center Advisor
I teach a variety of intellectual history courses about Western and non-Western civilizations. Such cross-cultural understanding is fundamental in appreciating the values of other peoples and this is a first step toward building a better, more peaceful world. This personal philosophy has led me to advise students on hundreds of projects at 14 of WPI’s 35 global project centers and to serve for a decade as the co-director of the Morocco Project Center. My experience this term, advising students doing community-service projects virtually because of the world-wide pandemic, has only reinforced my commitment to the value of global project education.