News

Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work Launches at MIT

January 7, 2026

The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work officially launched on Nov. 3, 2025, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to explore critical questions about economic opportunity, technology, and democracy.Co-directed by MIT professors Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, and Simon Johnson, the new Stone Center analyzes the forces that contribute to growing income […]

A new lens on humanity

January 7, 2026

When the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) launched in fall 2024, it was designed to elevate scholars at the frontiers of human-centered research and education, and to provide them with resources to pursue their most innovative and ambitious ideas.  At the inaugural MITHIC Annual Event on Nov. 17, 2025, faculty from across the Institute shared the progress […]

Positioning Massachusetts as a hub for climate tech and economic development

January 6, 2026

Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to become a leader in climate tech, said Emily Reichert MBA ’12, the CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and former CEO of Greentown Labs, to members of the MIT community at a seminar in November.  Reichert outlined the interconnectedness of economic development and clean energy innovation in MassCEC’s […]

Using design to interpret the past and envision the future

January 5, 2026

Some of designer C Jacob Payne’s projects present new, futuristic products — such as zero-gravity footwear for astronauts, and electronic-embedded ceramics — using technological tools and processes of digital fabrication, material innovation, and interactive interfaces. Other projects travel back in time to past centuries, considering the challenge of preserving and reconstructing Black architectural heritage. Payne […]

One pull of a string is all it takes to deploy these complex structures

December 23, 2025

MIT researchers have developed a new method for designing 3D structures that can be transformed from a flat configuration into their curved, fully formed shape with only a single pull of a string. This technique could enable the rapid deployment of a temporary field hospital at the site of a disaster such as a devastating […]

MIT community in 2025: A year in review

December 22, 2025

In 2025, MIT maintained its standard of community and research excellence amidst a shift in national priorities regarding the federal funding of higher education. Notably, QS ranked MIT No. 1 in the world for the 14th straight year, while U.S. News ranked MIT No. 2 in the nation for the 5th straight year. This year, President Sally […]

Q&A: The secret sauce behind successful collegiate dining

December 18, 2025

MIT Director of Dining Andrew Mankus has been serving the Institute community since his arrival on campus in June. He brings a wealth of energy and experience — and a problem-solver’s sensibilities — to food service at MIT. Most recently, he led dining at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which has won the top […]

Building reuse into the materials around us

December 18, 2025

In a field defined by discovering, designing, and processing the materials that underpin modern technology, Diran Apelian ScD ’73 has a resounding message: Reuse can’t remain just the focus of a PhD thesis or a startup. It needs to be engineered from the beginning. Apelian, a metallurgist and MIT alumnus known for his pioneering work […]

Digital innovations and cultural heritage in rural towns

December 17, 2025

Population decline often goes hand-in-hand with economic stagnation in rural areas — and the two reinforce each other in a cycle. Can digital technologies advance equitable innovation and, at the same time, preserve cultural heritage in shrinking regions? A new open-access book, edited by MIT Vice Provost and Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) […]

“Robot, make me a chair”

December 16, 2025

Computer-aided design (CAD) systems are tried-and-true tools used to design many of the physical objects we use each day. But CAD software requires extensive expertise to master, and many tools incorporate such a high level of detail they don’t lend themselves to brainstorming or rapid prototyping. In an effort to make design faster and more […]