JONATHON ROSS BARNETT
Professor, Fire Protection Engineering – WPI
By Dani Tifft

Part of what makes Central MA so unique is its abundance of colleges and universities.  And at each institution, there are professors, instructors, and coaches who go above and beyond simply dispensing academic fact inside the classroom; this special breed of educator becomes mentor, role model, and inspiration.  It is these individuals that we will be honoring in Focus on Faculty.
 

If you ask Jonathan Ross Barnett why he chose to specialize in fire, you may be surprised with how noble his answer is. “It is one of the few engineering disciplines in which the primary goal is to make the world a safer place. I think I’m having an impact, or at least I fantasize I am.”  Most people would agree that he is not dreaming at all.
One might consider him a “lifer” at WPI, where he received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Barnett is now a Professor of Fire Protection Engineering at WPI. He teaches primarily graduate courses including Building Fire Safety Analysis, Performance Design of Buildings, and Failure Analysis. His work with the ASCE and FEMA led him to testify in front of Congress in response to the 911 disaster. This experience allowed him to use his extensive knowledge of fire ~ its behaviors and chemistry ~ to make a real difference in our national community.

He certainly makes a difference in the WPI community as well. Graduate student Tara Bardon points out that while other professors become wrapped up in their research, Barnett remains dedicated both to research and the students themselves. “It is amazing how he cares about his students. He is interested in his research but he is really interested in students.” As a strong believer in a project-based curriculum, Barnett self-proclaimed mantra is that “People learn more when they are invested in something.”  
           
Barnett is also the Co-Director of the WPI Project Center in Melbourne, Australia, a program that involves around 20 students in their junior year in an attempt to remedy a societal need with technology. And in his “spare” time? When Barnett is not teaching or directing, he is busy as the advisor to the Theta Chi fraternity, the advisor and coach of the tennis club, the advisor to the GLBT group on campus, and the Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts.  Whew!