News

First-of-its-kind Indigenous immersive incubator gathers on MIT campus

May 19, 2023

An historic delegation of 10 Indigenous artists and advisors recently gathered on MIT’s campus to share their work with each other and with the MIT community. The theme of the ISO Indigenous Incubator at MIT gathering was “Indigenous Knowledge and Immersive Technologies.” Led by the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) of Canada and hosted by the […]

George Clark, professor emeritus and X-ray astronomy leader, dies at 94

May 19, 2023

MIT Professor Emeritus George Whipple Clark PhD ’52, an astrophysicist who was highly influential in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, died on April 6 in Boston. He was 94. Clark employed buckets, balloons, rockets, and satellites in his nearly lifelong pursuit to understand the nature and origins of cosmic rays, gamma rays, and X-rays. Clark discovered […]

3 Questions: Can disused croplands help mitigate climate change?

May 19, 2023

As the world struggles to meet internationally agreed targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, methods of removing carbon dioxide such as reforestation of cleared areas have become an increasingly important strategy. But little attention has been paid to the potential for abandoned or marginal croplands to be restored to natural vegetation as an additional carbon […]

Architectural heritage like you haven’t seen it before

May 19, 2023

The shrine of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa is a spectacular mosque in Balkh, Afghanistan. Also known as the “Green Mosque” due to the brilliant color of its tiled and painted dome, the intricately decorated building dates to the 16th century. If it were more accessible, the Green Mosque would attract many visitors. But Balkh is […]

Six MIT SHASS educators receive 2023 Levitan Teaching Awards

May 18, 2023

Six individuals have received the James A. and Ruth Levitan Teaching Award for 2023. The award, given annually by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), honors superlative teachers across the school, who have been nominated by MIT students. The 2023 winners are: Nicholas Ackert in the Department of Political Science, Nilma […]

Toward more flexible and rapid prototyping of electronic devices

May 18, 2023

Whether you are a new employee, a gymnast, or a bendy straw manufacturer, one trait is ideal across the board: flexibility. The same can now be said about prototyping electronic devices. While designers typically test out their designs on “breadboards,” or thin plastic boards that can hold together electronic components, they are often stiff and […]

Poetechnics: A podcast at the intersection of poetic and technical knowledge

May 18, 2023

If you’re searching for a podcast about the intersections between poetic and technical knowledge, look no further. Poetechnics is a new audio series from the MIT Literature Section produced by Lecturer Michael Lutz, whose scholarly interests include early modern British literature and culture; media studies, including digital media and videogames; philosophy and literature; and the […]

Is medicine ready for AI? Doctors, computer scientists, and policymakers are cautiously optimistic

May 17, 2023

The advent of generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT has prompted renewed calls for AI in health care, and its support base only appears to be broadening. The second annual MIT-MGB AI Cures Conference, hosted on April 24 by the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health (Jameel Clinic), saw its attendance nearly […]

Paula Hammond wins faculty’s Killian Award for 2023-24

May 17, 2023

Paula Hammond, a leading innovator in nanotechnology and head of MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named the recipient of the 2023-2024 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award. Hammond, an MIT Institute Professor, was honored for her work designing novel polymers and nanomaterials, which have extensive applications in fields including medicine and energy. […]

J-WAFS announces 2023 seed grant recipients

May 17, 2023

Today, the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) announced its ninth round of seed grants to support innovative research projects at MIT. The grants are designed to fund research efforts that tackle challenges related to water and food for human use, with the ultimate goal of creating meaningful impact as the world […]