News

The high-tech wizardry of integrated photonics

July 2, 2025

Inspired by the “Harry Potter” stories and the Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place,” 7-year-old Sabrina Corsetti emphatically declared to her parents one afternoon that she was, in fact, a wizard.“My dad turned to me and said that, if I really wanted to be a wizard, then I should become a physicist. Physicists are […]

Inspiring student growth

June 30, 2025

Professors Xiao Wang and Rodrigo Verdi, both members of the 2023-25 Committed to Caring cohort, are aiding in the development of extraordinary researchers and contributing to a collaborative culture. “Professor Xiao Wang’s caring efforts have a profound impact on the lives of her students,” one of her advisees commended. “Rodrigo’s dedication to mentoring and his […]

QS ranks MIT the world’s No. 1 university for 2025-26

June 18, 2025

MIT has again been named the world’s top university by the QS World University Rankings, which were announced today. This is the 14th year in a row MIT has received this distinction. The full 2026 edition of the rankings — published by Quacquarelli Symonds, an organization specializing in education and study abroad — can be […]

Combining technology, education, and human connection to improve online learning

June 17, 2025

MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) Fellow Caitlin Morris is an architect, artist, researcher, and educator who has studied psychology and used online learning tools to teach herself coding and other skills. She’s a soft-spoken observer, with a keen interest in how people use space and respond to their environments. Combining her observational skills with active community engagement, […]

Students and staff work together for MIT’s first “No Mow May”

June 16, 2025

In recent years, some grass lawns around the country have grown a little taller in springtime thanks to No Mow May, a movement originally launched by U.K. nonprofit Plantlife in 2019 designed to raise awareness about the ecological impacts of the traditional, resource-intensive, manicured grass lawn. No Mow May encourages people to skip spring mowing […]

Professor Emeritus Hank Smith honored for pioneering work in nanofabrication

June 16, 2025

Nanostructures are a stunning array of intricate patterns that are imperceptible to the human eye, yet they help power modern life. They are the building blocks of microchip transistors, etched onto grating substrates of space-based X-ray telescopes, and drive innovations in medicine, sustainability, and quantum computing. Since the 1970s, Henry “Hank” Smith, MIT professor emeritus […]

Anantha Chandrakasan named MIT provost

June 16, 2025

Anantha Chandrakasan, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science who has held multiple leadership roles at MIT, has been named the Institute’s new provost, effective July 1. Chandrakasan has served as the dean of the School of Engineering since 2017 and as MIT’s inaugural chief innovation and strategy officer since 2024. Prior to becoming […]

The shadow architects of power

June 11, 2025

In Washington, where conversations about Russia often center on a single name, political science doctoral candidate Suzanne Freeman is busy redrawing the map of power in autocratic states. Her research upends prevailing narratives about Vladimir Putin’s Russia, asking us to look beyond the individual to understand the system that produced him. “The standard view is […]

Have a damaged painting? Restore it in just hours with an AI-generated “mask”

June 11, 2025

Art restoration takes steady hands and a discerning eye. For centuries, conservators have restored paintings by identifying areas needing repair, then mixing an exact shade to fill in one area at a time. Often, a painting can have thousands of tiny regions requiring individual attention. Restoring a single painting can take anywhere from a few […]

Recovering from the past and transitioning to a better energy future

June 10, 2025

As the frequency and severity of extreme weather events grow, it may become increasingly necessary to employ a bolder approach to climate change, warned Emily A. Carter, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. Carter made her case for why the energy transition is no longer enough in the […]