News

Transatlantic connections make the difference for MIT Portugal

June 29, 2023

Successful relationships take time to develop, with both parties investing energy and resources and fostering mutual trust and understanding. The MIT Portugal Program (MPP), a strategic partnership between MIT, Portuguese universities and research institutions, and the Portuguese government, is a case in point. Portugal’s inaugural partnership with a U.S. university, MPP was established in 2006 […]

Studies at the intersection of equity, computing, and education

June 29, 2023

Before joining the Lifelong Kindergarten group in the MIT Media Lab, Cecilé Sadler saw computer engineering and community service as separate aspects of her life. Alongside her bachelor’s and master’s work in computer engineering at North Carolina State and Duke University, respectively, Sadler also spent a lot of time working with young people through local […]

Computer vision system marries image recognition and generation

June 28, 2023

Computers possess two remarkable capabilities with respect to images: They can both identify them and generate them anew. Historically, these functions have stood separate, akin to the disparate acts of a chef who is good at creating dishes (generation), and a connoisseur who is good at tasting dishes (recognition). Yet, one can’t help but wonder: […]

Gamifying medical data labeling to advance AI

June 28, 2023

When Erik Duhaime PhD ’19 was working on his thesis in MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence, he noticed his wife, then a medical student, spending hours studying on apps that offered flash cards and quizzes. His research had shown that, as a group, medical students could classify skin lesions more accurately than professional dermatologists; the […]

Uncovering the invisible pressures shaping language

June 27, 2023

Sihan Chen’s fascination with languages began when he was a teenager in his high school choir in his hometown of Shenzhen, China. “We sang religious and folk songs in different languages like Mandarin, English, Albanian, and Latin, and I would look up how to pronounce words in different languages,” he says. These early experiences planted […]

Redefining design through textiles

June 26, 2023

Fashion is among the most environmentally damaging industries globally, contributing to water pollution through dyeing processes and generating immense amounts of textile waste. Garments are often shipped all over the world, significantly contributing to carbon emissions. Ganit Goldstein SM ’23, a Jerusalem-born designer who recently completed a master of science in architecture studies in computation […]

Day of AI curriculum meets the moment

June 26, 2023

MIT Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) recently celebrated the second annual Day of AI with two flagship local events. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston hosted a human rights and data policy-focused event that was streamed worldwide. Dearborn STEM Academy in Roxbury, Massachusetts, hosted a student workshop […]

MIT speaker series taps into students’ passion for entrepreneurship and social impact.

June 26, 2023

Last summer, leaders of MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) noticed a growing trend in entrepreneur applications to the program: An increasing number of aspiring founders were expressing a passion for social impact. VMS, which connects students and alumni with teams of mentors, hosts bootcamps, holds expert office hours, and offers an annual Demo Day, did […]

MIT-Pillar AI Collective announces first seed grant recipients

June 22, 2023

The MIT-Pillar AI Collective has announced its first six grant recipients. Students, alumni, and postdocs working on a broad range of topics in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science will receive funding and support for research projects that could translate into commercially viable products or companies. These grants are intended to help students explore […]

MIT PhD student enhances STEM education in underrepresented communities in Puerto Rico

June 22, 2023

Taylor Baum knows that access is everything. So the fourth-year MIT PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has been working in recent years to enhance STEM education in underrepresented communities in Puerto Rico. As the founder of social impact venture Sprouting, Baum has been leading programs to facilitate community between […]