Inside Out

A REAL YET RANDOM, PLAYFUL YET SERIOUS SPIN AROUND CAMPUS—AND JUST BEYOND

TUFTS TWEET: @TUFTSUNIVERSITY @TUFTSENGINEER professor Sameer Sonkusale and his team are working to make “smart” bandages, which would actively monitor and deliver precisely targeted treatments to chronic wounds, while also keeping the caregiver informed of the patient’s progress.

THINKING FAST MAKES CHANGING SLOW: “IN FEBRUARY, the School of Engineering welcomed biologist Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff to educate the Tufts community on implicit bias and its effects on women and underrepresented groups in STEM. After her distinguished career as a researcher and academic, Villa-Komaroff has dedicated her time to promoting diversity within the sciences. Her illuminating presentation came with a clear message: understanding the current lack of diversity within STEM is key to building a more inclusive future. Inclusion and opportunity have always been integral to the Tufts experience, and we are proudly raising the bar every year. Far above the national average, at Tufts, 49 percent of the Engineering Class of 2024 are women.” —John Mattson ’22

CLEAN WATER FOR ALL: IN THE LANTAGNE GROUP, led by Professor Daniele Lantagne, engineers seek to reduce the burden of infectious diseases—such as Ebola, cholera, and diarrhea—by investigating and evaluating the effectiveness of water and sanitation interventions in developing countries and emergencies. To do this, students and professors complete laboratory research, field work, and policy work. In the lab, they determine which disinfection options can best be used to clean surfaces, hands, and human waste in Ebola treatment units, while policy work is centered on developing recommendations for implementing water and sanitation programs to reduce cholera transmission.

A stylized drawing of the planet Earth

BRIDGE TO ENGINEERING SUCCESS AT TUFTS (BEST): THE BEST PROGRAM is designed to help prepare first-generation and historically underrepresented students for the Tufts engineering curriculum by building a strong cohort of peers who will support and encourage each other through graduation and beyond. Students who are invited to join the program take two summer courses together before beginning their first year, while participating in academic and college life workshops. “BEST is more than a six-week summer program,” says Program Administrator Campbell Halligan. “It’s a family.”

Group picture of the BEST cohort

EXCOLLEGE HIGHLIGHT: INNOVATION: FROM IDEA TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: “HOW DO YOU DEVELOP an idea, keep others from copying it, and use IP as an innovator? Intellectual property (IP) comprises over 35% of the total US economy and is the engine behind the biggest developments in science, business, arts, and technology. In this workshop, we take a hands-on approach to understanding IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. In the first part of the course, students will investigate unmet needs at Tufts and innovate to address those needs. Then we’ll determine whether the solutions are patentable, select and search trademarks, and design logos. Along the way we’ll hear from guest speakers and look at everyday products— from the Apple iPhone to Adidas sneakers. The course will culminate with students pitching their inventions and protection strategies.” —Melissa Beede Johannes, Intellectual Property Attorney at Wolf Greenfield, BS in Electrical Engineering from Tufts

BUILDING BETWEEN DISCIPLINES: TUFTS’ NEWEST ACADEMIC BUILDING, opening in 2021, is a multidisciplinary space designed to hold the flow of people and ideas. The Joyce Cummings Center will serve as the new home for the Data Intensive Studies Center, the Departments of Computer Science, Economics, and Mathematics, and the Tufts Gordon Institute. The new Green Line from Boston will terminate adjacent to the site and create easier access for engineering students traveling from campus into Boston for internship opportunities and outings.

Photo of the completed Joyce Cummings Center

BON VOYAGE, INNOVATEURS! WHO SAYS ENGINEERS can’t study abroad? Thanks to the ten Tufts Programs Abroad and over 150 other pre-approved programs available to Tufts students, the world is at our students’ fingertips, no matter their major. Engineering students who want to get a jump start on their global explorations—while working with community organizations in one of four international sites—can participate in the Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Program. Others take their studies to the French Alps as part of the Tufts in Talloires summer program, enrolling in place-based courses that count for credit and don’t distract from the beauty of their surroundings.

WHAT WE’RE READING: CODING AS A PLAYGROUND BY MARINA UMASCHI BERS: WHEN YOU THINK of a computer programmer, who do you picture? Probably not children under the age of seven, unless you’re Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers, a Tufts computer science professor. In her latest book, she explores how young children can be taught to code, developing important skills while becoming playful producers—rather than just consumers—of technology.