Will Zawada

LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-zawada-375555260/

Student Voices Page:

https://www.wpi.edu/student_experience/community/voices/will-z

wzawada@wpi.edu

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Hometown: Lancaster, Massachusetts

Class of 2026

BS/MS in Data Science & Operations and Supply Chain Analytics;

Math/Spanish minors

Hi! I'm Will Zawada, a senior at WPI in the BS/MS program, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and a Master of Science in Operations and Supply Chain Analytics (MSOSCA) within the WPI Business School, alongside a minor in Math/Spanish.

I love WPI because of the sense of a supportive community, the interdisciplinary learning/projects, and the wide variety of concentrations available. I love project-based learning because it allows you to go in-depth, research, and explore "why" and "how" complex concepts work. It's interesting to see how they connect directly to business applications in the real-world, especially with applied math.

I started out here as a math major, then switched into Data Science, where I've had numerous projects here ranging from topics within prescriptive analytics and machine learning, to working directly with industry-sponsors for my IQP and MQP. Shifting my focus academically helped me discover my passion within applying optimization problems to analyze data, and in the near future, I hope to pursue a career within operations research, where I can directly apply these skills to support supply chain analytics. I enjoy blending data analytics and optimization to make insights related to supply chain analytics and general business trends.

I love the WPI community because you are always meeting people through forming connections with other students and faculty throughout the years!

If you have any questions about my involvements, majors, or WPI feel free to reach out to me! You can reach me by my email or LinkedIn profile, linked above.

Campus Involvements:

Crimson Key Tour Guide

In Crimson Key, I give tours throughout the year to prospective students and their families. Throughout each tour, I'll take questions about WPI and will reflect on my own WPI experience. I love this program so much because throughout the years, I've met a ton of amazing people! My favorite part of this position was mentoring new guides in Spring 2024, and when we're all together giving tours on accepted student/fall preview days.

SIAM - Interim President

The Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is centered around exploring mathematical phenomena, and fosters the exploration of networking opportunities and careers related to applied mathematics from within the industry and the scientific community. We host several talks throughout the year focused on various fields involving applied mathematics ranging from professors to working professionals.

Data Science Club

In Data Science Club, we offer a wide range of networking events, where we often learn about different career paths for a data scientist within the industry, and also host fun social events throughout the year, including: a Halloween party, game nights, for example.

Running Club

I was previously involved within Running Club, when my primary goal as a runner is to build-up stamina, running approximately 2-4 miles a day. It's been amazing meeting and chatting with new people, and to explore the city of Worcester. The club also has Fun Friday events where in the past, we sprinted to get Ice Cream, Runs-giving, and sometimes hosted social events such as movie lectures, and it's also a great hangout space overall!

Pi Mu Epsilon

Pi Mu Epsilon is our national mathematics honor society on campus, established in in 1914 with chapters established within 371 institutions across the US. This honors society is dedicated to the promotion and recognition of students who have demonstrated exceptional mathematical understanding throughout their coursework. I was inducted into this honor society in April 2024 when I was a math major.

Data Science, Bachelor of Science, B.S.

Data Science major is one of our most interdisciplinary majors here on campus. You can opt to do either a math, business, AI, or a computer science concentration and offers a wide-range of free electives you can choose from any of these areas. Built into the core curriculum, there is the three-course Data Science sequence, which gives a broad overview of the field to teach you for all of the essential skills you will need as a Data Scientist, ranging from statistics, computer programming, machine learning, and deep learning, As part of the major, I took a lot math courses as disciplinary electives within Calculus, Ordinary Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Linear Programming, & Statistics. I've also taken some related business, computer science, and AI-related courses such as: Machine Learning (pictured above), Algorithms, Leadership Practice, Database Systems, & Social Implications. I'm now working on a DS MQP that is industry-sponsored - more information below!

Math Minor

The math department offers a wide variety of different courses every year, which provides a lot of interesting options for the math minor. Generally, after taking a few introductory courses for the major, such as: calculus, statistics, discrete math, etc. I was then able to explore many different concentrations of math within the Data Science major and the minor. For my minor, I've focused within applied mathematics and statistics with courses such as Vector and Tensor Calculus, Designing and Analyzing Statistical Experiments, etc. The minor also has other concentrations available such as probability or abstract proof-based math.

Spanish Minor

I started learning Spanish as a second language for 6 years prior to coming to WPI. Initially, I was able to pick up basic phrases and sentences through having conversations, but that was about it. Coming into WPI, I only knew the basics, but I didn't want all of this learning to go to waste. I wanted to learn how to expand Spanish grammar and vocabulary so that I could eventually reach the level where I can speak, read, and interpret the language fluently. At first, it was my goal to complete my humanities requirement for my major through taking Spanish classes here, but I found that I needed more. By completing this minor, I hope to learn even more about Spanish cultures and ultimately learn to speak fluently in Spanish so I can interact with people in Spanish in the industry, and in life, in-general.

Operations and Supply Chain Analytics, Master of Science, M.S.

My OIE 559 project about decided candidate optimal neighborhoods to live-in within LA based on a variety of factors, using prescriptive analytics.

I decided to obtain my Master's degree at WPI by applying to the BS/MS program. This accelerated program is both time and cost efficient since it allows you to double-count up to 12-graduate credits towards both the bachelor's and master's degrees within a span of 4-5 years, at a reduced cost from completing a standard Master's program. Completing my BS/MS has also allowed me to double-count graduate courses to fulfill both degree requirements as an undergraduate.

The Masters in Operations and Supply Chain Analytics has provided me within a deeper focus of operations research and supply chain modeling. The program applies varies optimization techniques such as: linear programming, inter optimization, non-linear programming, lean-six sigma, and axiomatic design. This degree has also equipped my learning through additional business courses about team leadership and marketing; all are essential skills I want to carry with me into the industry post-graduation.

Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)

STEAM Implementation at Tower Bridge

In Summer 2025, for my IQP in London, England, my group and I sought to determine the best practices for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) implementation for Tower Bridge’s current exhibits. The primary method we used was interviews, which we conducted with staff at several museums, including Tower Bridge, to determine the current best practices in the museum and heritage site industry. We asked questions about how they implement STEAM within their organization and how they select learning objectives. We also observed the Tower Bridge exhibits and at other STEAM museums to compare methods of conveying information. Lastly, we sat in on educational workshops at Tower Bridge to observe how they apply STEAM. We amassed audio recordings of interviews, where we used a large language model (LLM) to identify patterns. With this, we were able to categorize our data to pitch recommendations for Tower Bridge’s exhibits. Not only was this project a lot of fun, but I also got to travel around to Edinburgh, Scotland and Paris, France for a day with others from my cohort!

Major Qualifying Project (MQP)

Process Improvement at ProAmpac in Westfield, MA

The objective of this senior capstone/major-specific project is to improve processes at ProAmpac in Westfield, MA in regard to their foil packaging printing press, which will be completed over the 2025-2026 school year. I'm currently working on this within a team of 7 consisting of Data Science, Management Engineering, and Industrial Engineering majors. The design improvements are meant to be drawn from our background in Data Science, Management Engineering, and Industrial Engineering, both analyzing proprietary company data collected by ProAmpac to increase uptime as well as observing the printing press to find any design improvements. The methods used to achieve these goals include observation of the processes of ProAmpac, axiomatic design principles, predictive data analytics in Excel, feature engineering models, and lean process improvement, including Lean Six Sigma methodologies. These methods should produce the outcomes of a significant increase in uptime, either through identification of systemic points of error or the improvement of systemic processes to reduce downtime. In addition, the identification of these systemic issues will be combined with further recommendations for the company to implement to enact further improvements beyond what we are able to achieve.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse