Needham Resident James Carson Cook One Of 1,140 Graduates To Receive Degrees At 142nd WPI Commencement

WORCESTER, MA (05/27/2010)(readMedia)-- James Carson Cook, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Cook of Needham, Massachusetts , was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the 142nd Comm encement exercises at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on May 15. A total of 1,140 degrees (720 bachelor's, 386 master's, and 34 PhDs) were awarded during the ceremony, which took place outdoors on the WPI Quadrangle.

Thousands of students, their families and friends, trustees, and other special guests were on hand to experience the inspirational messages delivered by speaker Curt Schilling, former Boston Red Sox pitcher, philanthropist, and founder of 38 Studios, a video game company in Maynard, Mass., and WPI President Dennis Berkey.

Honorary degrees were conferred upon Schilling, Clark University President John Bassett (who received WPI's first honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree), Angela Belcher, Germehausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering at MIT, and Gordon B. Lankton, chairman of Nypro Inc., and founder of the Museum of Russian Icons, both in Clinton, Mass.

"Make a difference in other people's lives," Schilling told the students. "You will find yourself, almost every day of your life from today forward, with a chance to change someone's life for the better. If you take nothing else from today, if you are a [Red] Sox fan who may feel that you owe this retired, hobbled former pitcher a small slice of gratitude, that's what I would ask of you. Act on it, reach out to someone and help, reach out to someone and make their lives a little bit better when you see an opportunity to do so."

The Chairman's Exemplary Faculty Prize was also presented for the fourth time during WPI's 2010 Commencement. The prize was established in 2007 through the personal philanthropy of Donald K. Peterson '71, chairman of the WPI Board of Trustees. It recognizes faculty members who, as true exemplars of the university's highest aspirations and most important qualities, excel in all relevant areas of faculty performance. One prize, in the amount of $10,000, was awarded this year to WPI Computer Science Professor Elke Rundensteiner.

"In respect of the difficult world you are about to tackle, and especially in light of the economic calamities of the past two years," President Berkey told students, "let me recall the words of one of my predecessors, Admiral Wat Tyler Cluverius, the seventh president of WPI, who presided during the difficult days of World War II. Speaking to WPI students in 1945, following the war's end, he said, 'Perhaps this is the last time you will have to rebuild a world.' Unfortunately for us all, the world again needs rebuilding. Fortunately, you are well prepared for that ominous challenge, and we know you will play a great part in the rebuilding that must be done."

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. WPI's 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's world-class faculty work with students in a number of cutting-edge research areas, leading to breakthroughs and innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 25 WPI project centers throughout North America

and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

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Contact: Lorraine U. Martinelle, public relations specialist, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 508-831-6425; lurbans@wpi.edu