In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition — Friday, Oct. 25 — WPI researchers are working on robots again, Big Y issued a wonderfully helpful grant, Catholic Charities announces its new location and there are two big Halloween events-one for humans and one for humans and pets.
WPI Researchers Win $3M Award to Study Human-Robot Interaction in the Workplace
Everyone’s talking about it, so we’re going to remind you (or tell you, in case you hadn’t heard). Anticipating a future of work that establishes a division of labor between humans and robotic technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have secured a five-year, $3 million National Science Foundation grant focusing on research and training related to the adoption of robotic assistants in the workplace.
WPI received the grant from NSF’s Research Traineeship (NRT) program, which awarded $49 million to 17 institutions across the United States to develop and implement graduate education traineeship models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
According to the NSF, these projects will immerse graduate students in interdisciplinary research and deliver training in career-aligned skillsets, which will enable the next generation of scientific leaders to tackle complex, societal problems.
Cagdas Onal, associate professor of mechanical engineering at WPI, is the principal investigator on the grant. Onal said the interdisciplinary research program, named “Future of Robots in the Workplace – Research & Development (FORW-RD),” will allow graduate student trainees “…to attain diverse skills needed to navigate opportunities and challenges to shape, guide, and lead the transition to a robot-assisted workplace.
Worcester Big Y Donates $30,000 to American Red Cross
A big donation for a big cause. Big Y presents $30,000 to American Red Cross Massachusetts representatives in support of Disaster Relief with a check presentation on Friday, Oct. 25, at 10:30 a.m. at the May Street Big Y. From Sept. 11 to Sept. 22, 2019, customers and employees made donations to American Red Cross Disaster Relief at all Big Y locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Catholic Charities Worcester County Is Moving Family Shelter
On Monday, Oct. 28, Catholic Charities Worcester County celebrates the move of its Family Shelter to 4 Caroline St, Worcester, MA with a ribbon cutting ceremony from 4-5 p.m.. The new shelter has more bedrooms to accommodate more and larger families who are facing homelessness in Massachusetts. The program (subcontracted through Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance Inc.) provides temporary emergency shelter when homelessness cannot be avoided. The program supports families with a combination of case management and direct service, provided in an environment that affirms the dignity of the individuals being served.
St. Bernard’s Church Holds Its Annual Neighborhood Halloween Fest
The church, located on Lincoln Street in Worcester, is throwing its second annual Halloween festival on Oct. 31 from 6-7:30 p.m. Taking place in the church’s gym, this festival “affords children who live in a neighborhood with a lot of negative forces the opportunity to safely trick-or-treat,” explained Rev. Jonathan Slavinskas, the pastor at St. Bernard’s. This event is intended to bring the neighborhood together and allow them to enjoy Halloween in a safe and fun environment.
All activities at the event, including trick-or-treating, games, prizes, raffles, and more are available at no cost to the attendees.
Halloween Event Brings Pets and Humans Together
It’s called Barktacular. Of course it is! Second Chance Animal Services, which does wonderful work in the name of animals throughout Central MA, is hosting a Halloween Barktacular on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Camp Marshall in Spencer. The event features a kids zone with Halloween-themed carnival games, a bounce house, costume contest, agility try-its, doggie massages, K9 demos, vendors booths, a “Your Dog Can Paint” booth by CC Lowell, trick-or-treating, haunted hayrides and pony rides by 4-H, live music, a photo booth, Spooky Cafe and more. It’s free, but donations are appreciated.
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