Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

OctoStudio, a new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Bringing the environment to the forefront of engineering

MIT Associate Professor Desiree Plata has a lifelong mission of making sustainability a bigger factor in design decisions. | Continue reading


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Q&A: Magnifying research impact with policymakers

MIT Policy Lab director Drew Story describes the lab as an impact magnifier for MIT researchers and explains how it works with researchers to develop policy impact plans, trains researchers how to be useful to policymakers, and provides modest funding to facilitate engagement. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Celebrating Kendall Square’s past and shaping its future

At the 15th Kendall Square Association annual meeting, community members celebrated both new and old aspects of the neighborhood. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

LIGO surpasses the quantum limit

LIGO researchers at MIT, Caltech, and elsewhere report a significant advance in quantum squeezing, which allows them to measure undulations in space-time across the entire range of gravitational frequencies detected by LIGO. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Opening pathways for future supply chain leaders

Maria Jesus Saenz of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics is dedicated to advancing future leaders, and to supporting women, in supply chain management. She has been recognized for her professional achievements and contributions to the success of women in SCM. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Building on an enduring bond

The architecture departments at MIT and Tuskegee University continue to build and deepen a connection that dates back more than 100 years. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Wobbly gel mat trains muscle cells to work together

MIT engineers designed a sort of workout mat for cells that can help scientists zero in, at the microscopic level, on exercise’s mechanical effects. The results suggest regular mechanical exercise can help muscle fibers grow in the same direction. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Learning how to learn

In a new book, Richard “Dick” Larson draws on a lifelong commitment to STEM education at MIT to offer accessible advice on solving everyday problems and making smarter decisions. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Soft optical fibers block pain while moving and stretching with the body

New soft, implantable fibers can deliver light to major nerves through the body. Developed at MIT, they are an experimental tool for scientists to explore the causes and potential treatments for peripheral nerve disorders in animal models. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

3 Questions: What should scientists and the public know about nuclear waste?

An MIT workshop aimed to help nuclear engineers, policymakers, and academics learn about approaches to communicating accurate information about the management of nuclear waste, in hopes of allaying fears and encouraging support for the development of new, safer nuclear power plan … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

To excel at engineering design, generative AI must learn to innovate, study finds

A new study reveals the pitfalls of deep generative models when they are tasked with solving engineering design problems. The MIT researchers say if mechanical engineers want help from AI for novel ideas and designs, they’ll have to refocus those models beyond “statistical simila … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

A new way to integrate data with physical objects

StructCode, developed by MIT CSAIL researchers, encodes machine-readable data in laser-cut objects by modifying their fabrication features. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu Wins A.SK Social Science Award

MIT professor Daron Acemoglu, a leading expert on economic growth and the uses and risks of automation, has been awarded the WZB Berlin Science Center's A.SK Award for fundamental contributions to labor economics, macroeconomics, and political economy. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

From a five-layer graphene sandwich, a rare electronic state emerges

When stacked in five layers in a rhombohedral pattern, graphene takes on a rare “multiferroic” state, exhibiting both unconventional magnetism and an exotic electronic behavior known as ferro-valleytricity. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Edward Crawley: A career of education, service, and exploration

MIT Professor Edward Crawley reflects on five decades at the Institute and beyond. From teaching and research to entrepreneurship, government and industry collaborations, and launching a new university, Crawley has done it all — and shows no signs of slowing down. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Germicidal UV lights could be producing indoor air pollutants, study finds

While useful for killing pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, 222-nanometer UV lights may produce harmful compounds in indoor spaces, and should be used with ventilation, MIT researchers have found. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

New technique helps robots pack objects into a tight space

MIT researchers used generative AI models to help robots more efficiently solve complex object-manipulation problems, such as stacking objects in a cabinet. | Continue reading


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Ariel Furst and Fan Wang receive 2023 National Institutes of Health awards

NIH announces MIT professors Ariel Furst and Fan Wang have won grants in the 2023 High Risk, High Reward Research program. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Designing a revolution

MIT associate professor Eden Medina is co-curating a museum exhibition, “How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design." The exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chilean coup. It’s the most extensive presentation of the history of graphic and i … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

A method to interpret AI might not be so interpretable after all

An MIT Lincoln Laboratory study finds "formal specifications" do not seem to be understood by humans. The finding casts doubt on many claims by AI and autonomy researchers that formal specifications can be used to make these systems interpretable, a long-held challenge … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Study: Deep neural networks don’t see the world the way we do

Images that humans perceive as completely unrelated can be classified as the same by computational models. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

MIT design would harness 40 percent of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel

MIT engineers designed a system that can efficiently produce “solar thermochemical hydrogen.” It harnesses the sun’s heat to split water and generate hydrogen — a clean fuel that emits no greenhouse gas emissions. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

At MIT, used books help enable public service

In September 2023, the MIT community and neighbors browsed a used book sale in the Kendall/MIT Open Space. The event supported the MIT Community Service Fund which unites MIT volunteers and donors to support our neighbors. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Jesse Kroll recognized for excellence in postdoctoral mentoring

MIT professor and atmospheric chemist Jesse Kroll received the MIT Postdoctoral Association's annual mentoring award for his inclusive and supportive advising of postdocs. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Thousands of programmable DNA-cutters found in algae, snails, and other organisms

Species from snails to algae to amoebas make programmable DNA-cutting enzymes called Fanzors, and a new study from MIT’s McGovern Institute has identified thousands of them. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

From MIT to Burning Man: The Living Knitwork Pavilion

The Living Knitwork Pavilion, constructed by a team from MIT and exhibited at Burning Man 2023, is an interactive architectural installation combining textiles, science, and art on a desert landscape. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Targeting a coronavirus ion channel could yield new Covid-19 drugs

MIT chemists discovered the structure of the “open” state of the coronavirus E channel, which contributes to the inflammation seen in cells of Covid-19 patients. The structure could guide researchers in developing antiviral drugs that block the channel and help prevent inflammati … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Cleaning up one of the world’s most commonly used substances

C-Crete, founded by MIT alumnus Rouzbeh Savary, has created a more sustainable cement binding material that could significantly reduce the industry’s carbon emissions. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

MakerLodge: A launchpad for hands-on learning

First-year MIT students can discover hands-on learning at MakerLodge, an immersive experience that trains them in making, tools, safety, and more. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Organizing “spaghetti” software so it can be easily modified

The MIT spinout Silverthread, founded by Dan Sturtevant, helps companies turn massive, complex codebases into modular systems to improve their performance. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Nathaniel Hendren wants to understand the conditions of opportunity

The MIT professor of economics studies social mobility and examines which policies can give people a chance to thrive. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Physicists coax superconductivity and more from quasicrystals

MIT physicists coaxed superconductivity and more from quasicrystals. The work introduces a flexible platform for making the enigmatic materials that could jump-start interest in the field and allow new studies of exotic phenomena. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Study advances understanding of visual recognition memory

Scientists have invested decades in piecing together how our vision is so good at recognizing what’s familiar. A new study overcomes an apparent discrepancy in data to reveal a new insight into how it works. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Solve Challenge Finals 2023: Action in service to the world

Over 200 social impact leaders gathered to hear the 2023 Solver teams pitch their solutions to address global issues at the Solve Challenge Finals, hosted by MIT Solve. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Recovering a treasure trove in MIT’s student center

The Undergraduate Association Sustainability Committee repurposes items for good causes — and discovers a few hidden gems — following a burst pipe in W20. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Practicing mindfulness with an app may improve children’s mental health

MIT researchers report children who used a mindfulness app at home for 40 days showed improvements in several aspects of mental health, including reductions in stress and negative emotions such as loneliness and fear. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

With Psyche, a journey to an ancient asteroid is set to begin

NASA’s Psyche mission, a project with deep roots at MIT, is setting course for a metallic space rock that could be the remnant of a planetary core like our own. Its principal investigator is MIT alumna and former professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who leads a team including longtime … | Continue reading


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Twelve with MIT ties elected to the National Academy of Medicine for 2023

Five MIT faculty, along with seven additional affiliates, are honored for outstanding contributions to medical research. | Continue reading


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Making more magnetism possible with topology

MIT researchers show how topology can help create magnetism at higher temperatures. | Continue reading


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One of MIT’s “best-kept secrets” offers an outlet for creative writing

The MIT’s Writers’ Group has helped community members channel their creative energies since 2002. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Boom, crackle, pop: Sounds of Earth’s crust

MIT scientists find the sounds beneath our feet are fingerprints of rock stability. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

MIT releases financials and endowment figures for 2023

The Institute’s pooled investments lost 2.9 percent last year; endowment stands at $23.5 billion. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

Empowering students to bring change in the Middle East

The Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET) program uses an MIT-inspired curriculum and MISTI student instructors to help young Palestinians and Israelis find common ground. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

A reciprocal relationship with the land in Hawaiʻi

Through community-based research with organizations that work to “hoʻomomona hou i ka ʻāina,” or “restore that which feeds back to abundance,” PhD student Aja Grande has embarked on a healing journey of her own. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

New tools are available to help reduce the energy that AI models devour

MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Supercomputing Center has developed tools to reduce data center energy use by power-capping hardware and by improving the efficiency with which models are trained — in some cases, their techniques reduce energy use by 80%. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

MIT SHASS Diversity Predoctoral Fellowship Program welcomes 2023-24 class

The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Diversity Predoctoral Fellowship program welcomed its 2023-24 class. The purpose of the program is to enhance diversity in SHASS and to provide fellows with additional professional support and mentoring as they enter the fie … | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago

The art of science and the science of art

“Making Art for Scientists: Materials, Processes and Information Relay” is a summer MIT course with instructor and artist Timothy Lee that invites scientists and engineers to explore new ways to visualize and represent their research. | Continue reading


@news.mit.edu | 1 year ago