News

Urban planning students engage with communities through the Freedom Summer Fellowship

April 3, 2026

For the past three summers, MIT master’s students and recently graduated planners have collaborated with cities and community organizations to advance climate, infrastructure, and economic development initiatives. They’re known as the Freedom Summer Fellows, participants in an impact-driven program launched in 2023 by the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), an expression of […]

Working to advance the nuclear renaissance

April 3, 2026

Today, there are 94 nuclear reactors operating in the United States, more than in any other country in the world, and these units collectively provide nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity. That is a major accomplishment, according to Dean Price, but he believes that our country needs much more out of nuclear energy, especially […]

Weekends@MIT offers connection through varied activities

April 3, 2026

Weekends at MIT are often a time for students to catch up on sleep or finish p-sets, lab work, and other school assignments. But for more than two decades, through a student-driven initiative supported by the Division of Student Life (DSL), students have been able to find welcoming activities designed to build community on Friday […]

Lasers, robots, action: MIT workshop explores Raman spectroscopy

April 3, 2026

Could a three-hour workshop on an advanced materials analysis technique turn someone into a detective — or perhaps an art restorer? At MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms in late January, about a dozen students explored that possibility during an Independent Activities Period (IAP) workshop on Raman spectroscopy, a technique that uses laser light to […]

Stamping high-res imagery onto everyday items to “reprogram” their appearance

April 3, 2026

Imagine a world where you could change the designs you see on bags, shirts, and walls whenever you want. Typical clothes would become customizable fashion pieces, while your humble abode could turn into a smart home. That’s the vision of scientists like MIT electrical engineering and computer science PhD student Yunyi Zhu ’20, MEng ’21: […]

Leading with rigor, kindness, and care

March 27, 2026

Professor Sara Prescott embodies the kind of mentorship every graduate student hopes to find: grounded in scientific rigor, guided by kindness, and defined by a deep commitment to well-being. Her approach reflects a simple but powerful belief that transformative mentorship is not only about advancing research, but about cultivating confidence, belonging, and resilience in the […]

Seeing sounds

March 26, 2026

Growing up in Mexico and Texas, Mariano Salcedo ’25 couldn’t readily indulge his passion for creating music. “There are no bands in Mexican public schools,” he says. While some families could pay for instruments and lessons, others, like Salcedo’s, were less fortunate. “I’ve always loved music,” he continues. “I was a listener.” Salcedo, the Alex […]

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2026

March 25, 2026

QS World University Rankings has placed MIT in the No. 1 spot in 12 subject areas for 2026, the organization announced today. The Institute received a No. 1 ranking in the following QS subject areas: Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Civil and Structural Engineering; Computer Science and Information Systems; Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; Electrical and Electronic […]

3 Questions: Communicating about climate, in audio and beyond

March 23, 2026

Since her first journalism fellowship covering energy and the environment at the NPR station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Madison Goldberg has been drawn to science communication and audio storytelling. Now, after reporting on topics from solar storms to sewer systems to cryptography, she’s bringing her passions to MIT as the new host of the Institute’s climate […]

Balancing school, family, and the future of aircraft systems

March 18, 2026

Greg Knutson is a military veteran who recently transitioned from 22 years of flying helicopters for the U.S. Navy to director of business development for Airbus U.S. Space and Defense. Now a second-year student in the MIT Sloan School Executive MBA program and a Pat Tillman Scholar, Knutson works to advance autonomous aircraft technology — […]