WORCESTER, Mass. — Cory Cormier of Mechanic Falls, a junior majoring in civil engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, recently completed an intense, hands-on research project in Hong Kong, China. The project was titled “Factors determining sustainable seafood use in Hong Kong.”

At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue.

“The WPI project-based curriculum’s focus on global studies brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge to solve real problems,” said Professor Richard Vaz, dean of the WPI Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division. “Students are immersed in all aspects of a different culture, from the way people live and work to the values they hold to the foods they eat — all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today’s global marketplace.”