WORCESTER—This June, Worcester Polytechnic Institute marked a milestone: two of its professors were awarded the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Educator Award for leading a decade of student‑driven water‑resource work through the WPI Massachusetts Water Resource Outreach Center (WROC).
MassDEP honored associate professors Corey Denenberg Dehner and Paul Mathisen, who co-direct WROC, for their leadership in bringing together Worcester‑area governments, nonprofits, and students to tackle water challenges across the state. In a MassDEP citation read by Deputy Commissioner John Beling, the state recognized the program’s impact since its 2015 inception .
Ten years, 40+ projects
Since launching in 2015, WROC has engaged students in more than 40 Interactive Qualifying Projects with towns, state agencies, and watershed groups. Those projects include testing private well water, mapping pathogen levels in city ponds, educating on PFAS contamination, and developing funding frameworks for stormwater management .
MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple noted the center’s focus: “Students are gaining hands‑on experience to address the many challenges facing our drinking water today, including lead, PFAS, and a changing climate. … We are grateful to have partners like WROC” .
Learning and engagement combined
Dehner described the award as “a recognition of this effective partnership,” praising collaboration with MassDEP staff, notably Andrea Briggs, that has enabled rich, career‑oriented student experiences . Among WROC’s spring initiatives was a program immersing students in water‑resource work—from facility tours to engaging directly with state agency staff .
Mathisen highlighted the dual benefits: “The projects … show students the importance of bringing together people with different experiences, perspectives, and talents to address an issue,” building real‑world leadership and policy insight while meeting community needs .
Next steps
Beyond the award ceremony held at WPI’s Rubin Campus Center, WROC plans to extend its reach by publishing student reports on the QUBES Hub platform, broadening public access to their work .
Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.
