Project Advisors D 2020
W. A. Bland Addison, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Humanities & Arts
History
International Studies
Contact: addison@wpi.edu
I believe it is important for American students to understand the intellectual foundations for their way of viewing the world as well as the cultural perspectives of other peoples of the world. I have taught 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. However, the practical experience of working with and learning from other peoples through project work on real world problems is more effective in cultivating empathy for the common humanity among all peoples, no matter cultural differences. This personal philosophy has led me to advise students on hundreds of projects at 12 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 working virtually with our very engaging collaborators in Romania has reinforced my commitment to global project education.
Rodica Neamtu, PhD
Associate Teaching Professor
Computer Science department
Data Science, Neuroscience
Contact: rneamtu@wpi.edu
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I see embedding project-based learning into cross-cultural experiences as a great step towards raising awareness to the problems faced by our global society and engaging our students in solving these problems. Co-directing a project center in Romania allows me to contribute to building a strong connection between the two cultures that I am deeply anchored in. I am committed to help our students explore other cultures, understand the issues that they are facing, and become part of impactful initiatives to mitigate them. Advising project teams is one of the most engaging and rewarding aspects of my work.
