In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore why sticking with your money goals is harder than it seems.
Alexander Smith, associate professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, explains how personal finance is deeply influenced by behavioral economics, or the psychology of decision-making. He describes how emotions and a focus on short-term goals can make it hard to follow a long-term financial plan, and how commitment devices and tapping into motivation can help.
Smith outlines six essential rules for building wealth and shares why financial self-awareness is just as important as financial literacy.
Aedan Bingham, a student majoring in robotics engineering and economics, also shares his findings from a research project that surveyed college students about what they know and want to know about personal finance.
The pair discusses how this research is helping to empower students with knowledge about topics including saving, investing, taxes, and credit.
Related links:
Alexander Smith’s personal finance website, Follow The 6
“What WPI Students Know about Personal Finance,” by Aedan Bingham
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore why sticking with your money goals is harder than it seems.
Alexander Smith, associate professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, explains how personal finance is deeply influenced by behavioral economics, or the psychology of decision-making. He describes how emotions and a focus on short-term goals can make it hard to follow a long-term financial plan, and how commitment devices and tapping into motivation can help.
Smith outlines six essential rules for building wealth and shares why financial self-awareness is just as important as financial literacy.
Aedan Bingham, a student majoring in robotics engineering and economics, also shares his findings from a research project that surveyed college students about what they know and want to know about personal finance.
The pair discusses how this research is helping to empower students with knowledge about topics including saving, investing, taxes, and credit.
Related links:
Alexander Smith’s personal finance website, Follow The 6
“What WPI Students Know about Personal Finance,” by Aedan Bingham
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore why sticking with your money goals is harder than it seems.
Alexander Smith, associate professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, explains how personal finance is deeply influenced by behavioral economics, or the psychology of decision-making. He describes how emotions and a focus on short-term goals can make it hard to follow a long-term financial plan, and how commitment devices and tapping into motivation can help.
Smith outlines six essential rules for building wealth and shares why financial self-awareness is just as important as financial literacy.
Aedan Bingham, a student majoring in robotics engineering and economics, also shares his findings from a research project that surveyed college students about what they know and want to know about personal finance.
The pair discusses how this research is helping to empower students with knowledge about topics including saving, investing, taxes, and credit.
Related links:
Alexander Smith’s personal finance website, Follow The 6
“What WPI Students Know about Personal Finance,” by Aedan Bingham
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Purvi Shah, associate professor in The Business School, explains the marketing strategies behind what you’re seeing in stores and online during the holidays.
From advertising and early-season deals to nostalgia and artificial intelligence, the holidays provide a master class in marketing. Understanding it all can make you an empowered shopper with knowledge to tackle gift buying with ease.
The conversation explores trends including AI tools shoppers can use to save time and money, the role of influencers, and the emotional pull of nostalgia that influences what we buy.
This holiday-themed episode is the second of two during the 2025 season designed to help you shop with confidence. Our previous episode focused on the research behind gift giving.
Related links:
Have you ever wondered if a gift you gave someone was something they wanted and actually would use? Have you felt the joy of receiving a gift that showed the giver really cares about and knows you? There’s a lot of emotion around gift giving and, thankfully, there’s research about it as well.
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Farnoush Reshadi, assistant professor in The Business School, discusses her research on consumer behavior and how people make gift-giving decisions. The discussion explores the research that helps explain why gift givers and gift recipients are sometimes on different pages.
This holiday-themed episode is the first of two during the 2025 holiday season to empower you when you give and when you shop. Our next episode will explore holiday marketing and the strategies you see in stores and online retail sites.
Related links:
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore how a group of Worcester Polytechnic Institute students are making a global impact and connections with a community in Ecuador. As part of a multiple-year project, WPI’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA spent a week in May 2025 working with residents in Shungubug Grande to upgrade their aging water system and address water quality challenges.
Sophia Gross writes about the experience for an article in WPI Journal, the university’s magazine. Gross and Sarah Gardner, both members of the student organization, join the podcast to reflect on their time in South America, the extracurricular project that allowed them to exercise their engineering and problem-solving skills for the enhancement of society, the lasting memories they made with community members, and what it was like to document the trip for the magazine in writing and photos.
Also, Kris O’Reilly, editor of WPI Journal, shares a preview of other stories you’ll find in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of the magazine.
Related links:
WPI Student Chapter, Engineers Without Borders USA
Instagram: WPI Student Chapter, Engineers Without Borders USA
WPI Journal, “Engineering a Cultural Connection,” by Sophia Gross
In this episode, we sit down with WPI’s Athletic Director to explore what it really means to be a student-athlete at one of the nation’s top STEM universities. With college sports making headlines nationwide, we take a closer look at the Division III experience at WPI — where academics come first, teamwork is essential, and the lessons learned on the field connect directly to WPI’s project-based learning approach.
We talk about balance, motivation, competition, community, and why being part of a team at WPI is about much more than winning games. It’s about collaboration, leadership, and preparing students for life after graduation.
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Erin Solovey, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, introduces the concept of “thinking with AI,” a vision of human-centered intelligent systems designed as collaborative partners that enhance decision-making and creativity. She also discusses her research that seeks to make technology more intuitive and responsive. Solovey’s work lies at the intersection of AI, human-computer interaction, and neuroscience and is focused on how people interact with artificial intelligence.
Related links:
Human-Computer Interaction Lab
Interacting with AI at Work: Perceptions and Opportunities from the UK Judiciary
Chronic pain affects millions of Americans and too often leads to dependence on opioids for relief. But what if doctors could predict, before writing a prescription, whether a patient would respond better to non-drug therapies like meditation?
This episode explores groundbreaking research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) that combines neuroscience, data science, and artificial intelligence to personalize pain treatment with guests Benjamin Nephew, assistant research professor, biology and biotechnology, and Emmanuel Agu, Harold L. Jurist ’61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean’s Professor of Computer Science.
The study “Integrative Mindfulness-based Predictive Approach for Chronic low back pain Treatment" or IMPACT is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) initiative.
Meet a WPI alum who first visited campus in middle school and keeps coming back! In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Em Beeler ’22 discusses her journey to becoming a high school math teacher in Worcester and how her story is deeply intertwined with the university. From early exposure to math and science at WPI and a career-shaping opportunity to join WPI’s Teacher Preparation Program to post-graduation experiences on campus to further her professional skills and share her knowledge with the next generation, Beeler carries the lessons learned at the university into her work teaching and guiding her students.
Related links:
WPI Teacher Preparation Program
Research Experience for Teachers Program
Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs
Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science
WPI’s new Explosion Protection Engineering program—the first of its kind in the U.S.—is training the next generation of engineers to tackle one of today’s most urgent safety challenges: explosions. In this episode, hear from a student and faculty member about how the program, created in part by Fire Protection Engineering professor Ali Rangwala, blends disciplines and real-world problem solving to protect lives and industries.
The future of money isn't minted, it's coded—and every time you deposit a check on your phone or send money via an app, you're actively using financial technology or "fintech." On this episode of The WPI Podcast, Kwamie Dunbar, Interim Dean of The WPI Business School and Professor of Finance, walks us through blockchain, cryptocurrency, and how artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the future of finance. As the first university in the U.S. to offer fintech degrees at every level of study, we'll also discuss the unique and exciting experiences our students have, including a yearly trip to center of the financial world—the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wall Street.
Rest is often overlooked in the race for academic achievement, but science shows it may be one of the most powerful tools for success. This podcast explores the vital role rest plays in learning, creativity, focus, and long-term well-being. We dive into the ways sleep, downtime, and intentional pauses can boost memory, sharpen problem-solving skills, and prevent burnout. Whether it’s power naps, digital detoxes, or building a healthier relationship with time, listeners will discover practical strategies to rest smarter and perform better.
Researchers across departments at WPI are studying how wildfires start, spread, and impact communities. In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Nan (Nancy) Ma, assistant professor, and Rachel Hurley, PhD candidate, both in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, discuss their work to understand the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor environments. Ma studies the effects of smoke exposure on children’s sleep health. Hurley conducts research on how building materials found indoors absorb and re-emit smoke particles. This is the second of two episodes focused on wildfire-related research at WPI. See Episode 13 for a discussion with researchers in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering about their studies on wildfire behavior.
Related links:
Published study referred to in Nancy Ma interview
EPA information on protecting yourself from wildfire smoke indoors
From perfectly coordinated Pinterest boards to last-minute duffel bag packers, this episode dives into the highs, lows, and hilarious moments of living on campus. The director of WPI's housing and residential experience center shares insider tips, real-life stories, and advice for students and parents navigating the exciting new world of college housing.
Researchers across departments at WPI are studying how wildfires start, spread, and impact communities. In this episode of The WPI Podcast, James Urban, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, and Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, discuss their research on fire behavior and how they’re working to share the knowledge generated from this research to protect people and property.
This is the first of two episodes focused on wildfire-related research at WPI. In the next episode on the topic, researchers in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering will talk about their work to understand the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor environments, with a focus on children’s sleep health and the absorption of smoke by building materials.
Related links:
Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center
National Fire Protection Association: Firewise USA (wildfire risk reduction program)
Discover how WPI's industrial legacy is fueling the future of advanced manufacturing. In this episode, a WPI materials science professor breaks down how cutting-edge tech—from AI to sustainable materials—is transforming the way we make things. Whether you're a curious listener or a future innovator, tune in to explore part of the next industrial revolution.
The emerging field of climate robotics is bringing together researchers, industry, and government partners to develop technological solutions to challenges that include environmental monitoring, disaster response and mitigation, and climate adaptation.
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Berk Calli, an associate professor in the Robotics Engineering Department, discusses WPI research projects and educational offerings in this area, the efforts to grow the field, and the importance of human-robot collaboration.
Related links:
In this episode, we explore how music and technology come together in powerful and unexpected ways at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Our guest, Professor Frederick Bianchi, is a world-renowned expert in music technology and a pioneer in virtual performance environments. He shares how WPI’s innovative programs in both music and music technology challenge traditional boundaries and prepare students to become the next generation of creative technologists. From synthesizers to AI-generated compositions, and from immersive audio to real-time performance solutions, we dive into the cutting-edge work happening at the crossroads of art and engineering. Whether you're a musician, a technologist, or just curious about how creativity and code collide, this conversation will strike a chord.
Related story mentioned in podcast: The Brain on Jazz
At WPI, the “S” in STEM sometimes stands for Shakespeare! In this episode, we’re diving into how the Bard’s brilliant wordplay, unforgettable characters, and big ideas connect with the same curiosity and creativity that drive science, tech, engineering, and math.
For Fatimah Daffaie ’25, the path to studying at Worcester Polytechnic Institute involved early years living in Iraq, exposure to engineering while in high school in Worcester, and a pre-collegiate experience on the WPI campus.
In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Daffaie shares her experience as a biomedical engineering student, including how she completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in just four years through the BS/MS program, an accelerated degree pathway.
She talks about the support she received as a recipient of a Great Minds CoMPASS Scholarship, which is available to eligible first-generation students from Worcester Public Schools who attend WPI. She also discusses the lessons she learned through serving as a member of Crimson Key, a group of student tour guides who assist prospective students and families during campus visits, and in the Engineering Ambassadors program, which allows college students to share their passion for STEM and inspire future engineers by engaging with K–12 students.
You may also read the transcript below.
Infamous for being a “weed-out” course in college, organic chemistry is so hard it can scare off students from pursuing careers in medicine, biology, materials science, and dentistry. In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Anita Mattson, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, talks about a new series of graphic novels she created with United Kingdom-based illustrator Anton Brand to help students navigate the chemistry of carbon. As Mattson puts it, whether you’re a struggling student, a curious nerd, or just someone who enjoys a good acid-base joke, this could be for you. You may also read the transcript below.