AUA Students Take a Semester at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to announce the initiation of a partnership with the University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Massachusetts. This arrangement offers AUA students the opportunity to spend part of their semester at WPI and participate in an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), which allows students to work together to solve real-world problems at the intersection of science, technology and society. As part of an earlier collaboration, WPI students have had the opportunity to take summer IQPs in Armenia.

In January and February, seven AUA students will spend seven weeks at WPI to take an IQP preparatory course, as well as two other WPI courses of their choice. They will work together with WPI students on an IQP project throughout the semester, first in Worcester and then in Armenia. In mixed groups, AUA and WPI students will collaborate in the framework of WPI’s IQP-based learning curriculum.

“I was ready to embrace diversity, an ocean of opportunities, yet what we got instead by the time we arrived in Boston was way beyond our expectations. The warmth and the generous support of the Armenian community in Worcester could even melt the snow here. You don’t expect to see an Armenian church on your campus which then also turns out to be the first one in the U.S. In terms of its structure and teaching methods, it is quite similar to what we have at AUA, except the fact that the campus is much bigger and there are more departments. Professors here are real professionals, very supportive and inspiring,” notes Ani Ghazaryan (BA EC ‘21), one of the exchange students.

The students are already in the U.S. getting fully engaged in the IQP curriculum and experiencing WPI campus life. AUA wishes Aneta Baloyan (BS CS ‘21), Nina Kirakosyan (BS CS ‘21), Lilit Ghandilyan (BS CS ‘21), Anna Tatinyan (BS CS ‘21), Knarik Manukyan (BS CS ‘21), Levon Amiryan (BAB ‘20), and Ghazaryan (BA EC ‘21) productive seven weeks at WPI and an unforgettable experience.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.